The Sandiganbayan, which is an anti-graft court in the Philippines, has rejected the request of a former Quezon City administrator Aldrin Cuña to dismiss a corruption case against him.
This case is related to a solar power system and waterproofing project worth P25.342 million that took place during the term of Mayor Herbert Bautista in 2019.
Cuña had filed a motion to quash the charges against him, but the court found no merit in his request and decided to proceed with the case.
The charges are related to a violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019, which is the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The case was initiated by the Office of the Ombudsman on March 15, and it centers around the payment of P25.342 million to a company called Cygnet Energy Power Asia Inc. for the installation of a solar power system and waterproofing work at the city hall’s Civic Center Building.
The Ombudsman claims that Mayor Bautista approved the full payment to Cygnet, even though the company did not meet the requirements for the project.
Cuña, who was the administrator at the time, issued a certificate of acceptance without a specific date, which led to the payment being released.
Both Bautista and Cuña are also facing another graft case related to an online occupational permitting and tracking system project valued at P32 million with Geodata Solutions Inc.
In this case, the Ombudsman alleges that Bautista approved the payment to Geodata without the city council enacting a budget appropriation ordinance for the project.
Moreover, the project was not fully delivered, but the payment was made anyway.
Based on the charge sheets, payments to both Cygnet and Geodata were approved by Bautista on June 27, 2019, or just three days before he stepped down from office after three terms as mayor.
Source: PhilNews24 | July 27, 2023
