Sandiganbayan acquits ex-Lucban mayor of graft over hiring of sister

The Sandiganbayan has acquitted former Lucban, Quezon Mayor Celso Dator of graft in connection with his appointment of his sister to two posts in the municipal hall in 2014 despite her failure to meet the qualifications for both positions.

In a 14-page decision promulgated February 5, Associate Justice Lorifel Pahimna said the prosecution failed to prove Dator’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt in hiring Maria Lyncelle Macandile as chief administrative officer and appointing her as municipal administrator.

“While the irregularity in the appointment and designation of Macandile smacks of manifest partiality or evident bad faith, there is a gap in the prosecution's evidence resulting in failure to demonstrate [the] accused's unlawful state of mind, notorious bias, patently fraudulent and dishonest purpose in hiring his sister,” the anti-graft court said.

In 2018, the Office of the Ombudsman filed one count of violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act against Dator over his “willful and unlawful” hiring of his sibling

The Sandiganbayan noted that even the Supreme Court affirmed the Ombudsman's finding that Dator's issuance of Special Order No. 2, Series of 2014 and Job Order was “irregular.”

“It is hornbook doctrine that findings of fact by the Office of the Ombudsman are conclusive when supported by substantial evidence… Here, this Court finds no reason to disturb the factual findings of the Ombudsman,” the decision read.

“Be that as it may, the Court fails to see how accused could have acted with manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence,” it added.

Associate Justices Alex Quiroz and Zaldy Trespeses concurred with the decision.—AOL, GMA News