The Sandiganbayan Third Division has junked the graft case filed against former Iloilo City mayor and now Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Jed Patrick Mabilog in connection with a towing services deal that the city government entered into with a company that the latter allegedly owned.
The anti-graft court granted Mabilog’s motion to quash and ordered the immediate dismissal of the case due to “inordinate delay,” according to a 25-page resolution penned by Associate Justice Karl Miranda.
“It is indubitable that Mabilog’s constitutional right to speedy disposition of cases has been violated,” the resolution read.
“As the Office of the Ombudsman has failed to discharge its burden of justifying the delay, the only appropriate and lawful remedy is the immediate and permanent dismissal of the present case against Mabilog.”
The Sandiganbayan also ordered to lift the hold departure order against Mabilog and ordered the release of his bail bond.
Mabilog was accused of awarding a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to 3L Towering Services for towing and clamping illegally parked vehicles without undergoing competitive bidding.
The original complaint was filed by Manuel Mejorada before the Office of the Ombudsman in April 2015, but the prosecutors only filed the case information in the Sandiganbayan in May 2022.
“From the filing of Mejorada’s complaint up to the filing of the information with this court, there was a total lapse of 7 years, 10 months, and 7 days,” the Sandiganbayan said.IMT
