Sandiganbayan junks ‘case delay’ plea of defendant who went in hiding for 24 years

Former Davao City Water District chief Wilfredo Carbonquillo, who was a fugitive for 24 years, claims the Office of the Ombudsman violated his right to speedy disposition of cases

MANILA, Philippines – The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan has dismissed the appeal of a former Davao City Water District (DCWD) chief who claimed that the Office of the Ombudsman had violated his right to speedy disposition of cases even if he went into hiding for 24 years to evade the charges against him.

Former DCWD general manager Wilfredo Carbonquillo is accused of alleged irregularities in the bidding and award of the P33-million Cabantian Water Supply System Project in 1998. 

In a resolution dated August 1, the Sandiganbayan Third Division dismissed Carbonquillo’s motion for reconsideration, which reiterated the arguments he had made in his earlier Motion to Quash Information, as a “dilatory tactic.”

“Carbonquillo’s Motion merely reiterated his claims and arguments in his Motion to Quash. However, Carbonquillo also unnecessarily draws a demarcation line between the Ombudsman’s preliminary investigation and his 24-year absence as a fugitive from justice,” the court said.

“If Carbonquillo was serious and sincere in his belief that his constitutional right had indeed been violated during the preliminary investigation, he should have immediately filed a motion to quash based on that ground when the Informations against him were filed with the Sandiganbayan instead of going into hiding for over two decades, thereby stalling the administration of justice,” it added. 

Given these facts, the court said “it is apparent that the instant Motion is yet another ploy to delay the proceedings.”

“We cannot allow this court to be made a party to such a dilatory tactic,” the anti-graft court said. – Rappler.com