Ombudsman asked to drop raps against Comelec exec
08/09/2010 Fearing the case against him would affect his nomination as an associate justice of the Supreme Court (SC), Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rene Sarmiento has asked the Office of the Ombudsman to junk the criminal and adminis-trative charges filed against him in connection with the alleged poll-related anomalies during the May 10 automated elections. In a three-page letter addressed to Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, Sarmiento stated that the Ombudsman does not have any jurisdiction over his case since he is an impeachable officer. An SC candidate who has pending criminal charges is automatically passed over. Sarmiento’s case stems from the complaint filed by Ma. Cristina Agustin and Nelson Selis of the Philippine Computer Society (PCS) in view of the alleged anomalous procurement of computers for the May 10, 2010 elections. Sarmiento alleged that Comelec is an independent constitutional body which can be removed only by impeachment. “Undersigned humbly submits that these cases/complaints should be dismissed on the ground that they were filed in his capacity as a commissioner of the Commission on Elections. Violations of laws cited in the cases/complaints carry with them the penalties of removal from office, imprisonment and fines,” part of the letter stated..... MORESource: The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100809hed4.html |
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