Sandigan junks ex-Palawan government bid to dismiss raps

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has denied the motion of former Palawan governor Joel Reyes for the dismissal of the graft cases filed against him in connection with the alleged misuse of P1.534 billion worth of proceeds from the Malampaya gas project in 2008.

In a 15-page resolution promulgated yesterday, the anti-graft court’s second division junked Reyes’ motion for leave to file a demurrer to evidence.

Also denied were similar motions filed by former provincial government officials: legal officer Elena Vergara-Rodriguez, planning and development coordinator Samuel Madamba II, accountant Orlando Colobong, general services officer Ferdinand Dilig, budget officer Luis Marcaida II, board member Rolando Bonoan Jr., assistant engineer and operation inspectorate team leader Federico Rubio Jr., quality control division chief Alfredo Padua, engineer IV Renato Abrina and their other co-accused.

A demurrer would have allowed Reyes and his co-accused to seek the dismissal of the charges halfway through the trial solely on the ground of the supposed weakness of evidence presented by the Office of the Ombudsman’s prosecution panel.

The court said the prosecution team was able to present sufficient evidence to sustain the indictment of the accused.

The arguments raised by Reyes and the other accused in their respective motions such as proof of their participation in the charged crimes are “matters of defense which should be ventilated during the trial on the merits of the case,” it added.

The court said Reyes and his co-accused still have a chance to rebut the evidence against them.

Based on the charge sheets, Reyes, in behalf of the provincial government, entered into 203 contracts for various public works and infrastructure projects in the province using the proceeds of the Malampaya gas project.

The ombudsman said Reyes and other former public officials conspired to approve the release of payments to the contractors despite lack of supporting documents and “incompleteness of the projects