Palace dismisses Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang
THE Office of the President has dismissed Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang for betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption.
Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea signed the order dated July 30, a copy of which was released to media on Wednesday.
Carandang’s dismissal stemmed from administrative complaints filed separately by Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) Commissioner Manuelito Luna and lawyer Eligio Mallari last year for his disclosure of President Rodrigo Duterte’s alleged ill-gotten wealth.
Lawyers Jacinto Paras and Glenn Chong also filed similar complaints against Carandang.
The complaints were anchored on Carandang’s statement to media, citing documents from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), which it denied.
“He was clearly only interested to broadcast an information adverse to the President. His keeping mum about an information that was favorable to the President clearly amounted to manifest partiality,” the order read.
The decision came days after Duterte appointed Associate Justice Samuel Ombudsman, replacing retired Conchita Carpio-Morales.
In early 2018, Duterte meted a 90-day suspension against Carandang while the investigation was ongoing.
Morales, however, defied Duterte’s order, citing a Supreme Court ruling in 2014, which ruled that the President was not authorized to discipline an official of a constitutional body like the Office of the Ombudsman. RALPH VILLANUEVA
The post Palace dismisses Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang appeared first on The Manila Times Online.