De Lima: Duterte ordered Carandang suspension to protect self, family

Malacañang deliberately ignored a Supreme Court (SC) ruling barring the Office of the President from disciplining the Deputy Ombudsman in order for President Rodrigo Duterte to protect himself as he allegedly continues to hide his supposed ill-gotten wealth, Senator Leila de Lima said Wednesday.

De Lima, a fierce critic of the chief executive, said Malacañang’s recent decision to suspend Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang shows why the 2014 SC decision is correct.

“Giving the President disciplinary authority over the person empowered to investigate him engenders conflict of interest scenarios, like the present one,” De Lima said.

“In this case, in order to protect himself and his family from further investigation by the Deputy Ombudsman, Duterte orders his suspension,” she said.

De Lima said slapping Carandang with a 90-day suspension is “convenient” for Duterte, who “continues to hide his ill-gotten wealth and is preventing its exposure by the AMLC (Anti-Money Laundering Council) and the Ombudsman.”

“Carandang’s suspension only shows that he is hot on the President’s money trail, and that Malacañang has to stop him before he uncovers the whole truth about the President’s ill-gotten wealth. This is all about protecting the President and hiding his corruption,” the senator said.

“As if his government’s impunity in the exercise of power is not yet enough, Duterte still seeks to control the Office of the Ombudsman and make himself immune from investigation and accountability. The Supreme Court must not allow this. Otherwise, it might as well crown Duterte and declare him King of the Philippines,” De Lima added.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Carandang was ordered suspended for alleged grave misconduct and grave dishonesty for the unauthorized disclosures of the supposed bank transactions of Duterte and his family.

Carandang announced in September last year that the Office of the Ombudsman has started a probe on the wealth of the First Family based on the complaint of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

Trillanes claimed that the basis for the complaint against Duterte were bank records provided by the AMLC.

Carandang then claimed that the Office of the Ombudsman is in possession of bank records that show the flow of money through deposits and withdrawals from Duterte's sons, Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo and Sebastian "Baste," and his joint accounts with his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

The AMLC, however, denied the following day that it had released such documents to the Ombudsman.

Roque said Malacañang is confident that it could cause the SC to reverse a ruling that barred the chief executive from imposing discipline on a deputy ombudsman. —KG, GMA News