By Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos
Malacañang has suspended Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang for 90 days due to his disclosure of President Duterte’s alleged bank transactions reaching P1 billion without the authority of the Anti-Money Laundering Council last year.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, in a Malacañang press briefing yesterday, said that Carandang is guilty of divulging valuable information of a confidential character.
According to Roque, the Office of the Executive Secretary has formally charged Carandang with grave misconduct and grave dishonesty for misuse of confidential information and disclosing false information.
The OES also charged Carandang for causing any undue injury to any party, including the government, or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage of preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial function through manifest partiality, and evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence.
Carandang is also facing administrative raps for divulging valuable information of confidential character “acquired by his office or by him on account of his official position to unauthorized persons or releasing such information in advance for its authorized release date.”
According to Roque, the OES’ decision to suspend and charge Carandang was pursuant to a complaint filed by lawyers Manolito Luna and Elijio Mallari.
“The Office of the Executive Secretary placed under preventive suspension Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur H. Carandang for a period of 90 days effective immediately upon receipt of this order,” Roque said.
The formal charge of the OES cited Carandang’s earlier statement which said that his office has “received bank transactions coming from AMLC, bank transactions generated by AMLC.”
However, the AMLC, days later, denied that they provided Carandang with the bank documents, nor Sen. Antonio F. Trillanes IV, who claimed to have the same documents.
“Ang sabi po ng AMLC, hindi nanggaling sa kanila ang mga dokumento ni Trillanes, hindi po nila in-authorize ang mga kahit anong inquiry at iyong mga attachment ni Antonio Trillanes, mali at misleading,” Roque said.
Luna, in a statement, said that they are elated with the decision of the OES to charge and suspend the overall deputy Ombudsman. “I’m thankful to the Lord for granting our prayer and to the Executive Department for sustaining our allegations that ODO Melchor Arthur Carandang should be preventively suspended. Justice is served,” he said.