Ombudsman exonerates Joey Marquez in garbage recycling deal

MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Ombudsman has absolved former Parañaque City mayor Joey Marquez of graft charges in connection with alleged  procurement irregularities when he was local chief executive.

Marquez’s lawyer provided a copy of the Ombudsman’s joint resolution signed on December 29, 2015, but released only on May 12. The law office said it received a copy of the joint resolution a week later on Thursday, May 19.

A statement from Marquez’s lawyers said that the Ombudsman’s joint resolution dismissed charges of malversion of public funds or property and violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The criminal charges, filed in 2008, stemmed from alleged irregularities in Parañaque’s  procurement and delivery of compost garbage and recycling equipment between 2000 and 2001, when Marquez was mayor. He served from 1995 to 2004.

The Ombudsman said it found no evidence connecting Marquez to the alleged transactions, as his signature wasn’t on any of the supporting documents.

With Marquez’s two complaints exonerated by the Ombudsman, all his known cases before the Supreme Court have been dismissed.

In January 2015, the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan acquitted him of graft charges over the purchase of ammunitions, which the Ombudsman alleged were overpriced.

Marquez was charged with 3 counts of plunder for buying 2,000 rounds of ammunition in 1996, 1997, and 1998, but the Sandiganbayan Second Division found that his signature had been forged.

Marquez was also acquitted in the infamous walis tingting (broomstick)  case by the Supreme Court in 2009, and the Sandiganbayan in 2011.

In the walis tingting deal, Marquez was accused of buying brooms worth up to P3 million without public bidding.

After being acquitted in 2015 of the ammunitions deal, Marquez said that life is better as a private citizen, and chose not to run in the 2016 elections.

Joey was one of the actors in the popular TV series Forevermore, and appeared in shows like Ang Probinsyano and It’s Showtime. – Rappler.com