Sandiganbayan The Sandiganbayan has urged all government officials and employees, elected or appointed, “to rise above their self-interests and pride” to avoid conflicts, clashes and disputes that are detrimental to public service. The anti-graft court’s admonition was pointed out in its decis
MANILA-The Sandiganbayan has acquitted a former Eastern Samar town mayor of charges arising from his refusal to reinstate and pay back wages to two municipal employees in defiance of an order by the Civil Service Commission (CSC). In the 79-page decision written by Associate Justice Sarah Jane T. Fernandez dated March 31, the graft court acquitted former San Policarpio, Eastern Samar Mayor Conrado Nicart III of charges in violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019). Nicart was charged for his failure and refusal in 2012 to immediately reinstate Diosdado B. Cidro and Anita P. Moscosa to their respective positions as an agriculturist technician and budgeting aide respectively, as directed by the CSC in its decision dated April 17, 2012. The mayor had asked for a reconsideration of the CSC ruling but the same was denied. Nicart then initiated a formal charge in January 2013 dismissing Cidro, Moscosa, and municipal civil registrar Virginia Acol for dishonesty, grave mis