DOJ to look into criminal liability of sacked Sandiganbayan Justice Ong

The Department of Justice will check the possible criminal liability of dismissed Sandiganbayan Justice Gregory Ong for his links with Janet Lim-Napoles, who is facing plunder and malversation charges over the P10-B pork barrel fund scam.

 

De Lima, however, said she first wanted to see a copy of the fact-finding report of retired Supreme Court Associate Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez who probed claims Ong was a "contact" of Napoles at the Sandiganbayan.

 

Gutierrez found that Ong had indeed twice visited Napoles in her office in the past, and concluded the Sandiganbayan justice fixed the Kevlar case pending with the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division, of which Ong was member, leading to Napoles' acquittal. The case involved the sale of 500 Kevlar helmets to the Philippine Marines in 1998. 

 

The SC eventually adopted Gutierrez's findings and dismissed Ong last week. The High Court sitting en banc found Ong guilty of gross misconduct, dishonesty and impropriety.

 

"I'd like to see for myself the SC decision itself at tsaka sana iyong pinaka fact-finding report... exactly iyong mga findings. Titignan natin kung mayroong basis for possible criminal liability. Pero hindi ko pa masasabi ngayon," De Lima said.

 

De Lima however said she was not sure whether Gutierrez's report would be made open to the public.

 

During one of his visits to Napoles, Ong allegedly received from her 11 checks, each amounting to P282,000.00, or a total of P3,102,000.00. These were said to be advanced interest for the P25.5 million BDO check that Ong gave to Napoles to deposit in her personal account as investment in the Armed Forces and Police Savings and Loan Association Inc.

 

While it would be better for a complainant against Ong to come out, the National Bureau of Investigation can also serve as a complainant in case a criminal case would be filed, said the justice secretary.

 

De Lima cited as an example the pork barrel cases lodged by the government against Napoles, in which the NBI acted as a complainant along with Levito Baligod, a lawyer for the whistleblowers in the scam. —KG, GMA News