The Sandiganbayan has ordered the 90-day suspension pendente lite of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Regional Director Joel Salvador, Finance Officer Rolando Reyes, Accountant Asterio Tolentino, Jr., and Budget Officer Perlita Mauri.
Salvador, et al., are facing trial for violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019) and Illegal Use of Public Funds under Article 220 of the Revised Penal Code.
Based on the Information, Salvador, et al. illegally used funds allotted for the ecological solid waste management by causing the diversion of P758,998.07 for the rehabilitation and improvement of the Environmental Education and Information Center and the Regional Director’s Office in Baguio City. Moreover, the construction materials were purchased without any public bidding and the accused were found to have authorized the payment for the materials despite the non-delivery of goods.
“Considering that the validity of the Informations in these cases had already been established with the arraignment of the accused, their preventive suspension is warranted under the premises,” stated the Resolution.
The anti-graft court directed the DENR Secretary to implement the suspension order. ###