MANILA, Philippines — Former Malabon congressman Federico Sandoval II and his wife have been cleared of graft charges over the alleged misuse of P20 million in pork barrel funds in 2019.
The Office of the Ombudsman dismissed the complaints for graft, falsification of public documents and malversation filed against Sandoval.
Ombudsman prosecutors also cleared Sandoval’s wife, former Malabon vice mayor Jeannie, and five employees of the local Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The charges filed against five private respondents were also dismissed, according to the anti-graft agency.
The ombudsman dismissed the criminal cases in July 2019 after the complainants failed to prove that the Sandovals conspired with the DSWD officials and officers of the Pamalakaya Foundation Inc., where Jeannie was an incorporator.
The couple had denied the charges, saying there were no irregularities in the release of the pork barrel funds.
Also cleared of graft were DSWD regional director Honorita Bandua Bayudan, chief accountant Ma. Luisa Francisco, social welfare officer Maria Cecilia Linghon Rimon as well as administrative officers Victoria Santos Legacion and Imelda Ibarra David.