With this warning, the Supreme Court hammered the last nail yesterday on former Vice President Salvador Laurel’s efforts to stop the Ombudsman from indicting him for alleged anomalies in the construction of the Expo Pilipino’s P1.165-billion "Freedom Ring."
The High Court described as "irrelevant" questions raised by Laurel, former chairman of the National Centennial Commission (NCC), on whether members of Expocorp — the company which constructed the Freedom Ring — were public officials in the light of the tribunal’s April 24 ruling making him liable for the alleged anomaly.
The High Court said it declined Laurel’s move to "clarify these questions for the simple reason that his status as a public officer has no relation to the nature of Expocorp."
Laurel had argued that the Ombudsman could not investigate and indict him because he was not a public official since Expocorp was a private corporation.
The Supreme Court justices, however, countered that the NCC was created by virtue of an executive order by former President Fidel Ramos to oversee the Philippine Independence Centennial project.
The High Court believes that Laurel was considered a public officer when he chaired the NCC and that he was accountable for any acts that may fall under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. — Delon Porcalla