MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan has acquitted actor and former Parañaque City mayor Joey Marquez of three counts of graft in connection to the purchase of alleged overpriced ammunition.
Aside from Marquez, the anti-graft court's 4th Division also cleared his co-accused, Ofelia Caunan, former head of city’s General Services Office, for the purchase of ammunition for his security when he was still mayor in 1995, 1997 and 1998.
"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," the 63-page decision of the tribunal said.
The Office of the Ombudsman filed the cases in 2003 against Marquez based on the audit report that the Paranaque City government acquired rounds of ammunition for the then chief local executive's bodyguards which were overpriced by P1.219 million.