(Eagle News) — Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday expressed “full support” for Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, who has said the Palace’s suspension of Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang was “unconstitutional.”
In a statement, Trillanes said it was only right for Morales to defy “what is clearly an illegal and unconstitutional order by (President Rodrigo) Duterte and his minions.”
“Maling mali si Duterte dito kahit saan mo tignan,” he said.
Trillanes said the Ombudsman and her deputies were, after all, “independent” according to the Constitution.
This was contrary to Solicitor General Jose Calida’s statement that the “disciplinary authority” over an Ombudsman rests with the President, who has the appointing authority over members of the judiciary.
Calida said this was granted to the chief executive by the Ombudsman Act and by the Supreme Court, which “has held that the power to discipline is lodged in the same authority in whom the power to appoint is vested.”
“The constitution is clear that only the Ombudsman is subject to impeachment proceedings,” Calida said.
According to Trillanes, Duterte had ordered the suspension of the person who was investigating the President’s “ill-gotten wealth.”
As such, he said the move to suspend Carandang was tantamount to “obstruction of justice.”
“Plano ko rin pakasuhan si (Anti-Money Laundering Council) Executive Director (Mel Georgie) Racela sa pagcover up at pagdeny na ang mga flagged transaction documents ay hindi galing sa AMLC samantalang ito ay nakasaad sa minutes ng AMLC meeting noong May 2016 na ito ay parte ng MOA with the (Ombudsman) to provide such documents for intelligence purposes,” Trillanes said.
In his complaint filed during the campaign for the May 2016 elections, Trillanes claimed that Duterte had more than P2 billion in undeclared wealth.
Carandang said the deputy ombudsman for Mindanao, who is leading the fact-finding investigation, has secured several bank documents from AMLC, which he said also found sufficient grounds to conduct its own probe.
But in a statement, the AMLC denied providing any bank records to the Ombudsman, and noted that it had yet to see if there were any grounds to initiate an investigation.
The AMLC added that the amounts presented in Trillanes’ complaint that allegedly represented the President’s assets were “wrong and misleading.”