MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court affirmed the Sandiganbayan decision to suspend Senator Jose Victor ‘JV’ Ejercito and three others in connection with his alleged illegal use of public funds during his term as San Juan City mayor in 2008.
In a two-page decision of SC First Division, the court dismissed the instant petition and affirmed the Aug. 22, 2016 resolution of Sandiganbayan (SB) Fifth Division for failure of petitioners Ejercito, city administrator Ranulfo Dacalos, city legal officer Romualdo Delos Santos to show that the SB committed grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack of or excess of jurisdiction in suspending them pending trial for a period of 90 days.
The SC also denied Ejercito’s application for temporary restraining order to block a 90-day suspension order issued by the Sandiganbayan due to lack of merit.
The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division said that Ejercito was suspended “from his position as Senator of the Republic of the Philippines, and from any other public office which he may now or hereafter be holding for a period of ninety (90) days from receipt of this resolution, unless a motion for reconsideration is seasonably filed.”
The graft case against Ejercito arose from the procurement made by city government of San Juan of high-powered rifles in 2008 amounting to Php 2.1 million, when he was city mayor.
The purchase was made using the calamity funds of San Juan City even though the city was then not under a state of calamity. Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/PNA-northboundasia.com