MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has charged a graft investigator in Pangasinan for allegedly trying to extort money from local officials in exchange for the dismissal of complaints against them.

Morales has also earlier suspended the official, Leonardo Nicolas, an Associate Graft Investigation Officer III of the Office of the Ombudsman.

Charges of direct bribery were filed on August 7 before anti-graft court Sandiganbayan while charges of violation of code of conduct were filed before the Municipal Trial Court of Lingayen, Pangasinan.

“Nicolas was under surveillance for several weeks after the Ombudsman received a tip that the investigator, pretending to be a lawyer, was trying to extort P3,000,000.00 from local officials in Pangasinan in exchange for the dropping of complaints undergoing fact-finding investigation,”  the Office of the Ombudsman said in an earlier statement.

Nicolas was arrested on July 21, after the Ombudsman and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) conducted an entrapment operation. He and his cousin accepted the marked money from the asset.

Also arrested in the entrapment operation was Nicolas’ cousin, Isagani Nicolas, labor arbiter from Dagupan.

“Nicolas was also caught with a bogus copy of an Evaluation Report purportedly issued by the Field Investigation Office. The fake Evaluation Report was presented in exchange for P3,000,000.00,” the Office of the Ombudsman said.

They cousins were earlier put under preventive suspension for 6 months.

“The Ombudsman does not condone any form of corruption among its ranks. We will not let up in the campaign to remove undesirables in government service,” the statement said. (READ: Ombudsman lawyer being probed for Mamasapano delay) – Rappler.com