MANILA, Philippines — The Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld with finality the dismissal of Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog in connection with a graft case.

The case against Mabilog stemmed from the alleged unexplained increase in his wealth by about P9 million in 2013.

In a resolution released on Friday, the CA affirmed its earlier ruling rejecting a petition filed by Mabilog, who sought to reverse the dismissal order issued by the Office of the Ombudsman.

The CA denied a motion for reconsideration filed by the mayor, noting no new or substantial reason was raised to warrant the reversal of the ruling.

The appellate court reiterated its findings that Mabilog’s petition should be dismissed due to technicality.

The ruling was penned by Associate Justice Stephen Cruz and was concurred in by Presiding Justice Romeo Barza and Justice Carmelita Salandanan-Manahan.

Mabilog was among politicians linked by President Duterte to the illegal drug trade in August 2016.

He denied the allegations and has been on a leave of absence since September 2017.