CA clears De Lima, Robredo of contempt

MANILA, Philippines - The Court of Appeals (CA) has cleared Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo of contempt charges for proceeding with their campaign against the jai alai off-fronton betting operations of Meridien Vista Gaming Corp. (MVGC) despite its order stopping the government crackdown.

In a 10-page resolution, the CA’s former Special 6th Division junked Meridien’s motion seeking to cite the two Cabinet secretaries for indirect contempt.

Last year, the CA issued a writ of preliminary injunction against the implementation of a DOJ-DILG joint memorandum circular that applications for business permits filed by Meridien with local government units and permits already issued to the firm should be denied or cancelled.