THE Sandiganbayan has recently ordered the suspension of a Department of Justice prosecutor for allegedly mulcting P1.2 million from members of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (Palea), the Office of the Ombudsman said.
The Office of the Ombudsman said Assistant State Prosecutor Diosdado Solidum Jr. is currently facing trial for Direct Bribery and violation of Section 7(d) in relation to Section 11 of Republic Act 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
The office said in a four-page resolution issued on July 23 that the Sandiganbayan directed Solidum to “cease and desist from performing his present government function or any other public office which he may now or hereafter be holding, for a period of 90 days.”
“Solidum was indicted by the Office of the Ombudsman after he was caught red-handed with ‘boodle money’ in an entrapment operation conducted by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation on August 8, 2013, in a restaurant along Timog Avenue in Quezon City,” the office said.
The Ombudsman said the entrapment stemmed from the complaint filed by Gerardo Rivera, president of Palea, alleging that Solidum requested a meeting in Quezon City where Solidum intimated that reversing a prosecutor’s resolution would entail costs, and assured Rivera that he can reverse the decision.
“Records show that Solidum initially demanded the amount of P10,000 from each Palea member/respondent, or an equivalent of P2.5 million, which was later reduced to the sum of P1.2 million payable in installment, in exchange for the dismissal of the charges filed against the Palea members,” it added.
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after 2 long years lang sinuspinde? marami nang nakurakot ang walanghiyang prosecutor na yan.