THE Office of the Ombudsman has directed Mayor Oscar Moreno to answer a complaint for plunder even as it started an investigation into the use of P79 million in city hall funds in 2015.
Deputy Ombudsman for Mindanao Rodolfo Elman gave Moreno 10 days from receipt of the two-page Dec. 7 order to submit a counter-affidavit, reported the Philippine Daily Inquirer yesterday.
The complaint was filed in 2016 by one Clemente Atoc who accused the mayor of plunder, graft, technical malversation and violation of the Local Government Code. Specifically, Moreno was accused of issuing and encashing eight separate checks in 2015 without a city council-approved budget.
Also facing the same complaint are former acting city treasurer Glenn Bañez, city accountant Beda Joy Elot and city budget officer Percy Salazar.
Based on the Inquirer report, the Ombudsman’s investigators found the criminal and administrative complaints against Moreno to be “sufficient in form and substance.”
Moreno is facing the prospects of dismissal and disqualification from public office as disciplinary sanction for the serious administrative offenses of grave abuse of authority, grave misconduct and violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
Disclaimer
Mindanao Gold Star Daily holds the copyrights of all articles and photos in perpetuity. Any unauthorized reproduction in any platform, electronic and hardcopy, shall be liable for copyright infringement under the Intellectual Property Rights Law of the Philippines.
