The Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday filed graft and technical malversation charges against Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito before the Sandiganbayan for an alleged anomalous purchase of high-powered firearms worth P2.1 million in 2008.
Ejercito, who was then mayor of San Juan when the purchase happened, said politics was a factor in the decision of the Ombudsman, which also covered 19 former and incumbent city officials.
The filing of the charges came three days after his father, former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, endorsed the candidacies of Senator Grace Poe and Senator Bongbong Marcos for president and vice president, respectively.
Poe and Marcos are running against administration candidates Manuel Roxas II and Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo.
Marcos, in particular, has been widely criticized by the administration led by no less than President Benigno Aquino III who claimed the former does not stand a chance of winning in the May polls.
“It is unfortunate that the Office of the Ombudsman denied my motion for reconsideration on the 2008 case of firearms procurement when I was San Juan City mayor,” Ejercito said.
“My conscience, however, remains clear. I did not commit technical malversation. The firearms purchase was done accordingly within the law, that is why CoA cleared us from any disallowance,” he added.
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales recommended that each respondent post a P30,000 bail for graft and P6,000 bail for technical malversation.
The Ombudsman accused Ejercito and the other local officials of conspiring with each other for the purchase of the firearms using the city government’s calamity fund even if San Juan was not placed then under a state of calamity.
The purchase of three units of K2 cal. 5.56-mm sub-machine guns and 17 units of Daewoo model K1 cal. 5.56-mm from the supplier HK Tactical Defense System Inc. did not go through public bidding.