Ex-Sulu vice gov Tan, sons face charges over SALNs, wealth probe

MANILA, Philippines – After being suspended for 6 months, former Sulu vice governor Abdusakur Tan and his son, Maimbung Mayor Samier Tan, will face criminal charges for not filing their Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs).

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales ordered that the father and son be charged for violating Republic Act (RA) 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

Former vice governor Tan – also an ex-governor of Sulu – faces 5 counts of criminal charges for not filing his SALNs from 2007 to 2011, while his son faces 2 counts of criminal charges for failure to file his SALNs in 2010 and 2011.

“Wherefore, there exists probable cause to indict respondent Abdusakur M. Tan of five counts of violations of Section 8, RA 6713; respondent Samier Abubakar Tan of two counts of the same provision. Let information(s) for such crime be filed in the appropriate court,” the Ombudsman ordered.

But it doesn’t stop there for the Tans.

Morales also directed her Deputy Ombudsman in Mindanao to investigate the “dramatic increase” in the wealth of Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan II, another son of the former vice governor.

From P1.8 million in 2013, the Sulu governor’s bank account ballooned to P31 million at present.

“With regard to his ill-gotten wealth, since there is no sufficient evidence presented as to the source of the increase in his cash in bank in 2014, the same is best referred to the OMB-Mindanao Field Investigation Unit for further investigation,” Morales said.

But the Sulu governor was not indicted for the irregularities found in his SALNs in 2013 and 2014 because the Ombudsman consider those as only a “mere administrative lapse.”

The cases stemmed from complaints filed in 2015 by the elder Tan’s political rival, Temogen Tulawie, who lost the Sulu gubernatorial race against Governor Tan in the May 2016 elections.

Morales earlier suspended the younger Tans over the same allegations. – Rappler.com