Malacañang has suspended Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Carandang.

In a press briefing at the Palace, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said: “The Office of the Executive Secretary placed under preventive suspension Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang for a period of 90 days effective immediately upon receipt of this order.”

According to Roque, the Office of Executive Secretary has formally charged Carandang on the following grounds:

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Grave misconduct and grave dishonesty for misuse of confidential information and disclosing false information;

Violation of Section 3e of RA 3019 for causing any undue injury to any party, including the government or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage, or preference in the discharge of official administrative or judicial function through manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence; and

Violation of (Section) 3k of RA3019 in relation to Section 2 Rule 5 of OMB, Administrative Order No. 7 for divulging valuable information of a confidential character acquire by his office or by him an account of official position to unauthorized person or releasing such information in advance for its authorized released date.

Roque said the charges against Carandang were pursuant to a complaint filed by lawyers Manuelito Luna and Eligio Mallari.

Carandang was facing an administrative complaint for revealing the alleged details of his agency’s investigation into the Duterte family’s wealth. With a report from Tetch Torres-Tupas /kga

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