MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan has dismissed four graft cases against Quezon City administrator Victor Endriga, citing the Office of the Ombudsman’s unjustifiable delay in the handling of the cases.
“The court finds that the period of more than seven and one half years that it took the Office of the Ombudsman to conduct and terminate the preliminary investigation of these cases constitutes inordinate, unreasonable and unjustified delay which violates the constitutional right of the accused to a speedy disposition of their cases,†the anti-graft court’s First Division said yesterday.
Endriga’s graft cases stemmed from allegations that there had been P10.6 million in questionable cash advances and other anomalies in 1995, when he was Pasig City treasurer, supposedly revealed in a Commission on Audit report.