SC dismisses Calida's petition vs. Trillanes-led probe on security firm's deals with gov't

The Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed on the basis of mootness the petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida and his family that seeks to block a Senate probe led by then-Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on the former's security firm which allegedly had questionable contracts with government agencies.

"With the closing of the 17th Congress, the investigation into Proposed Senate Resolution No. 760 automatically ceased, rendering this case moot as 'the conflicting issue that may be resolved by the court ceased to exist,'" the resolution, promulgated on September 3 and released on Friday, read.

"This Court also takes judicial notice that respondent Trillanes has reached the end of his two-year term as senator," it added.

According to the resolution, a case may be deemed moot "when it loses its justiciability, as there is no longer a conflict of legal rights which would entail judicial review."

During the 17th Congress, Trillanes chaired the Committee on Civil Service, Government, Reorganization and Professional Regulation, which was supposed to conduct an inquiry with the blue ribbon committee regarding the alleged conflict of interest of Calida.

Calida and his family, however, filed a petition with the SC as they maintained that the committee led by Trillanes has no jurisdiction to conduct the legislative inquiry.

The solicitor general's family business, Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency Inc. (VISAI), allegedly bagged multi-million peso contracts with government agencies after he assumed office in 2016.

Calida and his family have consistently denied any conflict of interest.

Malacañang had also defended Calida before, saying that it is not illegal for him to own shares of the said agency. —KBK, GMA News