SC junks raps vs BSP officials over Urban Bank closure

The Supreme Court has dismissed all criminal charges against the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and its officials for the closure of Urban Bank of the Philippines, and refuses to entertain further appeals.

In two separate orders, the SC junked the appeals filed separately by former UBP president Teodoro Borlongan and former UBP legal counsel Benjamin F.S. Tabios. Both cases were decided in January by the Third Division of the High Tribunal but they were appealed twice.

This leaves only two more administrative cases still pending against the BSP, including the Court of Appeals decision to suspend BSP Governor Rafael Buenaventura for a year and one day.

Still pending are administrative cases filed by Borlongan against Buenaventura and the one he filed against Reyes and three other BSP officials. Buenaventura’s case was decided in Borlongan’s favor by the 5th Division of the Court of Appeals while the other case was decided in BSP’s favor by the 17th Division.

In the one-page decision the SC’s Third Division stressed that it had denied all previous appeals with finality.

The SC invoked the provisions of the Rules of Civil Procedure which provided that "no second motion for reconsideration of the judgment or final resolution by the same party shall be entertained."

In the two other cases still pending before the lower courts, Borlongan’s remaining petitions were denied with comments from the Court of Appeals that Borlongan only had "himself to blame for failing to consolidate all his cases." – Des Ferriols