Sandiganbayan
Former Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Mark E. Jalandoni and former Assistant Ombudsman Nennette De Padua have been acquitted by the Sandiganbayan of their criminal charges involving the alleged tampering of decisions, resolutions and other documents during their tenure in office.
J
MANILA - The Sandiganbayan has acquitted two former senior officials of the Ombudsman accused of tampering official documents in 2013. In a decision dated Aug. 26, the anti-graft court acquitted former Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Mark Jalandoni and Assistant Ombudsman Nennette De Padua on multiple counts of removal, concealment, or destruction of documents. The 2013 charges stemmed from an internal probe ordered by former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales following reports that the accused concealed documents already signed by then Acting Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro and ready for release. The prosecution claimed the accused covered Casimiro's name and signature in documents with a patch of paper bearing his name. This made it appear that Jalandoni, and not Casimiro, was the official authorized to issue and withheld the release of the documents. Jalandoni joined the Office of the Ombudsman as assistant ombudsman in 2006 during the time of former Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez. He