DAR exec cleared in complaint over bringing legal researcher to hotel meetings

The Sandiganbayan has acquitted an official of the Department of Agrarian Reform in Mati City, Davao Oriental of charges that included allegedly introducing his legal researcher as his wife on two occasions.

A 38-page decision from the court's Fifth Division said Provincial Agrarian Reform Adjudicator Romeo Covarrubias is cleared of two counts of violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act due to the failure of the prosecution to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Covarrubias was accused of presenting Lynette Marcos Abarro as his wife during the Expanded Executive Committee Meeting of DAR at Kansilad Beach Resort in April 2013 and at the Department of Agriculture Adjudication Board conference in D'Leonor Inland Resort the following month.

The prosecution said both Covarrubias and Abarro have different spouses, but the former gave undue advantage to his legal researcher when he brought her to the meetings.

However, the Sandiganbayan said all of the prosecution's witnesses had "opinion evidence" since none of them testified that Covarrubias really introduced Abarro as his wife.

The Sandiganbayan further said the witnesses were all subordinate employees of the complainant, Regional Agrarian Reform Adjudicator Norberto Sinsona, who had "some official issues" with Covarrubias.

The anti-graft court added that Abarro had been forced to stay at Kansilad Beach Resort due to lack of transportation and alternative resorts, while she did not stay overnight in D'Leonor Inland Resort because she only attended the afternoon session.

"All things considered, the totality of the facts borne out by the evidence on the records, however, showed that the accommodation of the accused Covarrubias and his legal researcher, Lynette Abarro, was done in all good faith by the personnel of the executive committee meeting secretariat, with a valid justification under the circumstances of the case," the April 5 decision read.

Division chairperson Associate Justice Rafael Lagos penned the decision, with the concurrence of Associate Justices Maria Theresa Mendoza-Arcega and Maryann Corpus-Manalac. — BM, GMA News