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Is he lucky or what?
“The Sandiganbayan has acquitted actor Joey Marquez of three counts of graft in connection with overpriced rounds of ammunition that were bought by the city government when he was mayor of Parañaque City,” reports InterAksyon.com.
The report recalled that “Marquez, a former professional basketball player, was mayor of Parañaque from 1995 to 2004 and the city vice mayor from 1992 to 1995.” Of course, everyone knows Marquez is also an actor.
The report then noted that “the Office of the Ombudsman’s 2003 graft cases against Marquez were based on a Commission on Audit report that the city government purchased without public bidding rounds of ammunition from 1996 to 1998 and overpriced these by PHP1.219 million.”
In its ruling, the Sandiganbayan explained: “Although administrative lapses may have occurred… conviction in these cases would nonetheless be unwarranted due to the failure of the prosecution to prove all the essential elements of the offense charged.”
It may be recalled as well that “in 2008, the Sandiganbayan convicted Marquez of five counts of graft in connection with the city government’s purchase of overpriced brooms worth PHP2.9 million in 1996 and 1997.” However, the Supreme Court reversed that ruling in 2009.
Photo: Press release
