La Union prosecutor sacked for dishonesty

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union — Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Victor Fernandez ordered the dismissal of Julio Tecan, assistant provincial prosecutor of La Union, after he was found guilty of grave misconduct for extorting money from one of his clients.

Ismael Boco, Ombudsman graft investigator, who conducted the investigation on the complaint against the erring prosecutor, also recommended the forfeiture of Tecan’s benefits and disqualification for re-employment in the government service.

The Ombudsman’s three-page decision dated Nov. 11, stated that they have found substantial evidence to impose the administrative penalty against Tecan.

"Case records showed sufficient and substantial evidence that indeed he was demanding P100,000 cash from his client, Reynaldo Callejo, a police agent, in exchange for the dismissal of the latter’s criminal case," the decision reads.

Records showed that the demand was made even as there was already an affidavit of desistance from the person who filed the case against Callejo. Tecan allegedly did not dismiss the case and instead instructed Callejo to produce the money for the dismissal of his case.

Callejo, who could hardly pay the whole amount, asked Tecan that he be allowed to pay on an installment basis and paid an initial P4,000. But before he could pay the second installment in August Callejo sought assistance from the National Bureau of Investigation.

In an entrapment operation,Tecan was caught in the act of receiving the money.