Latest news with #Ombudsman
GMA Network
an hour ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
House prosecutors welcome Ombudsman stand to await VP Sara trial result
Vice President Sara Duterte speaks to the media in Melbourne, Australia on June 22, 2025. Courtesy: Office of the Vice President video screenshot The House of Representatives prosecution panel backed the remarks made by Ombudsman Samuel Martires who said his office would wait for the outcome of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte before resolving her case. "Ang sinabi niya (Martires) ang kaniyang kapangyarihan lang ay mag-imbestiga, hindi ang mag-desisyon (He said his power is to investigate, not to decide on cases)," House prosecution panel spokesperson Atty. Antonio Audie Bucoy said at the Saturday News Forum. "Aantayin niya ang kahihinatnan ng impeachment trial, which is tama (He will wait for the outcome of the impeachment trial, which is correct). I commend the Ombudsman for that," Bucoy said. In an interview on Friday regarding the issue, Martires said his office does not have the power to prosecute. Further, should the Senate impeachment court in favor of the Vice President, the Office of the Ombudsman may no longer pursue charges, according to Martires. Martires said, "The Ombudsman or any investigating body has to await the result of the impeachment proceeding." "But if the Vice President is acquitted by the impeachment court, wala kaming power to charge her (But if the Vice President is acquitted by the impeachment court, we have no power to charge her)," the Ombudsman said. Martires had also denied that he was out to sabotage the trial when his office acted on the report submitted by the House Committee on Good Governance and Public Accountability. On June 19, the Ombudsman asked Duterte to file her counter-affidavit to the alleged misuse of confidential funds of the Department of Education and the Office of the Vice President. Duterte filed her counter affidavit with the Ombudsman on Friday, June 27, 2025. The House of Representatives had submitted a committee report on June 16, alleging plunder, technical malversation, falsification, use of falsified documents, perjury, bribery, corruption of public officers, betrayal of public trust, and culpable violation of the Constitution. Also named as respondents were Edward Fajarda and Gina Acosta, Special Disbursing Officers; Assistant Secretary Atty. Sunshine Charry Fajarda, Director for Strategic Management Office; retired Major General Nolasco Mempin, Undersecretary for Administration; and Annalyn Sevilla, Undersecretary for Finance Service. All of them are from the Department of Education. Those charged from the Office of the Vice President were Atty. Zuleika Lopez, Undersecretary and Chief of Staff; Lemuel Ortonio, Assistant Chief of Staff; Lieutenant Colonel Dennis Nolasco, Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group; and Colonel Raymund Dante Lachia, Commander of Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group of the Philippine Army. Martires had said the investigation may take longer than the trial, adding that it may be up to the next Ombudsman to tackle the issue. "Mabuti nagsalita na si Ombudsman Martires that he is leaving it to the next Ombudsman to address the case… We welcome that because 'yun po ang tamang proseso eh," Bucoy said. (It's good that Ombudsman Martires stated that he is leaving it to the next Ombudsman to address the case… We welcome that because it is the proper process.) Martires is due to retire on July 27 after serving as Ombudsman for seven years. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
18 hours ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Ombudsman: We're not grabbing Congress' power to impeach
Ombudsman Samuel Martires denied he is out to sabotage the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte when his office acted on the report filed by the House Committee on Good Governance and Public Accountability. 'We are not grabbing the power of Congress to impeach an impeachable officer, no. Neither are we trying to supplant the findings of the House of Representatives," he said. Martires said that according to their rules, they should treat committee reports submitted to his office as a complaint. 'We do not treat it as a paper weight or a scratch paper,' he said. On June 19, the Ombudsman acted on the committee report and asked Duterte to file her counter-affidavit to the alleged misuse of confidential funds of the Department of Education and the Office of the Vice President. Duterte filed her counter-affidavit at the Ombudsman on Friday, June 27, 2025. The House of Representatives had submitted a committee report on June 16, alleging plunder, technical malversation, falsification, use of falsified documents, perjury, bribery, corruption of public officers, and betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution. Also named as respondents were Edward Fajarda and Gina Acosta, Special Disbursing Officers; Asst. Secretary Atty. Sunshine Charry Fajarda, Director for Strategic Management Office; retired Maj. Gen. Nolasco Mempin, Undersecretary for Administration; and Annalyn Sevilla, Undersecretary for Finance Service. All are from the Department of Education. Those charged from the Office of the Vice President were Atty. Zuleika Lopez, Undersecretary and Chief of Staff; Lemuel Ortonio, Asst. Chief of Staff; Lt. Col. Dennis Nolasco, Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group; and Col. Raymund Dante Lachia, Commander of Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group of the Philippine Army. Martires said that his office is merely investigating the complaint and would wait for the impeachment trial to finish to determine whether any criminal charges may be filed against Duterte if and when the impeachment court convicts her. 'What we have right now is the power to investigate but not to prosecute. The Ombudsman or any investigating body has to await the result of the impeachment proceeding. But if the Vice President is acquitted by the impeachment court, wala kaming power to charge her,' he said. He added that the investigation may take longer than the trial, saying it may be up to the next Ombudsman to tackle the issue. 'Medyo matagal-tagal pa ito. 'Yun ang mahirap sa mga taong nerbiyoso. 'Yun ang mahirap sa mga taong hindi nag-aral. We are not dismissing anything. What is there to dismiss when our only power is to investigate,' he said. Martires is due to retire on July 27 after serving as Ombudsman for seven years. He was appointed by former President Rodrigo Duterte first as associate justice of the Supreme Court and later on as Ombudsman. Martires denied he acted on the House committee report to pre-empt the impeachment court to favor the younger Duterte. 'Mula nang ako'y in-appoint ni Digong (former President Duterte) sa Supreme Court hanggang sa Ombudsman, ni minsan ay hindi nakiusap sa akin si Digong,' he said. —LDF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
21 hours ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
VP Sara answers alleged fund misuse before Ombudsman
Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday filed a counter-affidavit before the Office of the Ombudsman in response to allegations of fund misuse in her office and during her tenure as Secretary of the Department of Education. The counter-affidavit responded to allegations of technical malversation of public funds, falsification of public documents, perjury, bribery, corruption of public officers, plunder, betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution against the Vice President and her subordinates. The same allegations were levelled against Duterte by the House committee on good government and public accountability which conducted a series of inquiries. Based on the information provided to GMA News Online by the Vice President's camp, the reply to the Ombudsman's order was filed by lawyers Paul Lim and former Department of Education spokesperson Michael Poa at 1:10 pm on June 27, 2025. The Ombudsman on June 19 directed Duterte to comment on the allegations. The House panel was named the complainant. The House panel, however, said it did not file a complaint against the Vice President before the Ombudsman but merely recommended the filing of charges. The panel had said that it found that the OVP and DepEd submitted acknowledgment receipts riddled with wrong dates, signatories with no birth records, unnamed signatories, and non-readable names of signatories before the Commission of Audit (COA) to justify the disbursement of around P612.5 million worth of confidential funds. The Vice President has maintained that she never misused public funds. But as a result of the panel's findings, the Vice President is now facing an impeachment trial before the Senate. Earlier, House prosecution panel spokesperson and lawyer Antonio Audie Bucoy said that the Ombudsman should wait for the verdict of the Senate impeachment court on Duterte before deciding whether she should face criminal prosecution. "The impeachment proceedings are of primordial consideration," Bucoy said in a press conference. "'Yan ho ang pinakamataas na antas tungo sa [hakbang na] panagutin ang impeachable official. Under the Ombudsman Act, Republic Act 6770, meron hong dalawang provisions doon na sinasabi na ang Ombudsman ay hindi pwedeng imbestigahan ang impeachable official because sapagkat ang mekanismo na nakasaad sa saligang batas [ay] impeachment, na ang may jurisdiction ay ang Senado, sitting as an impeachment court,' he said, referring to Section 21 of the Ombudsman law. (The impeachment is the highest-ranked accountability tool for an impeachable official. The Ombudsman Act has two provisions stating that the Ombudsman cannot investigate an impeachable official because the process for that is impeachment, which is under the jurisdiction of the Senate impeachment court.) 'Pangalawa, meron din diyan provision na nagsasabi kung iimbestigahan, maaaring imbestigahan ng Ombudsman ang impeachable official kapag ang layunin nito ay mag-file ng verified impeachment complaint. Yun lang ho,' Bucoy added, referring to Section 22 of the Ombudsman law. (Secondly, the same law states that if the Ombudsman investigates an impeachable official, the goal must be to file a verified impeachment complaint. That's it.) The Office of the Ombudsman is headed by Samuel Martires, a former Supreme Court and Sandiganbayan Associate Justice. His tenure will end in July this year. —LDF, GMA Integrated News
Belfast Telegraph
a day ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Family ‘vindicated': Ex-police officers among suspects in NI teen's unsolved murder as report finds ‘systematic failings' in probe
Relatives of Marian Beattie were speaking after a scathing report found a series of failings in the original murder probe. The Police Ombudsman has now urged the PSNI to commission an independent review of the investigation. The 18-year-old's partially-clothed body was found at the bottom of the quarry near Aughnacloy in March 1973, hours after she had left a dance with an unidentified male. At the time police said it was a "vicious and cruel murder, with sadistic overtones". No one has ever been charged or convicted of Marian's murder. However, the family said the Ombudsman report reveals there were 13 suspects – three had paramilitary links and two were former police officers. Marian's cousin, Collette Toman, said: 'What is contained in the report has vindicated our position all along - there were significant failings in the RUC-PSNI investigation and that has been corroborated by this report today.' The PSNI said it is committed to helping the Beattie family get answers to their questions. Ms Toman added: 'This independent review needs to take place, and coming out of that independent review, I think that there is a fair chance of Marian's murderer being brought to justice. "We believe the killer is still alive. We believe we know who it is. "If the independent review is taken forward in the right manner, there is every possibility we will see justice for Marian.' The report found police had failed to ensure all lines of enquiry were progressed, that all suspects were interviewed and that all alibis were checked. Officers also did not ensure discrepancies between some suspects' accounts and other evidence were examined. Key evidence – including accounts from people at the dance – has also been lost. Police Ombudsman chief executive Hugh Hume said Marian's family had not received the service that they deserved from the police. Ms Toman said the family were alarmed by the extent of police failings outlined in the report. She added: "There are some shocks that we've had, even today. For example, we were unaware that there were up to 13 suspects in this case. "We were only ever told about two, and then at an Ombudsman meeting in 2022, that increased to five. But never at any point did we think there was up to 13 suspects. "Alongside that, there was a point at which they were considering closing the investigation in 2014, and the report now documents that at that stage there were 213 items still to be further investigated." The Police Ombudsman's investigation came after a referral by the then Chief Constable, George Hamilton, in 2017. On the night of her murder on March 30 1973, Marian had been at a dance at Hadden's Garage near Aughnacloy, attended by 400-500 people. She was last seen walking in the direction of Hadden's Quarry with an unidentified male. Her body was found at the bottom of the quarry, beneath a 90 foot drop, the next morning. A post-mortem examination concluded Marian had died from multiple injuries - some consistent with a fall, but others deemed to have been sustained separately. Items from the scene, including clothing and forensic samples, were sent for forensic testing, but all are now missing. These include a shoe which had a palm print, formed in mud, which became a significant focus for police. Mr Hume said there had been an over-reliance on the palm print. The report said significant outstanding lines of enquiry in relation to suspects that had not been pursued. There was no evidence that police conducted any interviews with a number of suspects; checked a number of suspect alibis; or made enquiries about the whereabouts of some suspects on the night. Discrepancies between the accounts of some suspects and other evidence were not properly examined, investigators found. The Ombudsman probe was also hampered by the loss of police exhibits and documentation. This includes documentary evidence, statements, records of interviews with witness and suspects, and officers' journals, and completed questionnaires from 419 people at the dance are also missing. All physical exhibits recovered during the initial police investigation are also missing. Mr Hume said: 'If these exhibits had been available, it may have been possible to have conducted further forensic testing using current forensic capabilities, and it is possible that this may have resulted in the identification of the person responsible for Marian's murder." He added: 'Although our investigation has found significant errors and omissions during the police enquiries into Marian's murder, it is my hope that the independent review we have recommended will ensure that every effort is made to uncover the truth about her murder, and to finally bring her killer, if still alive, to justice.' Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said: 'We are committed to helping the Beattie family get answers to their questions and ensure the case is properly investigated. 'We will now take time to consider the recommendations of the Police Ombudsman report and we hope the family will engage with the Police Service as part of that process.'
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
Health board apology after patient's death following hip op
The Ombudsman's report stated that the patient had surgery for the fracture but was diagnosed with a number of illnesses while in hospital and subsequently died. The Ombudsman backed the family's criticism of nursing care as well as the way the complaint was handled by the health board. But issues raised about the medical care received were not upheld. READ MORE: Following an independent review by a nursing adviser and a consultant geriatrician, the Ombudsman identified shortcomings in several areas of nursing care. These included failures in nutrition, pressure sore care, person-centred care planning, and documentation, all upheld by the Ombudsman. The medical treatment provided was deemed generally reasonable, and this part of the complaint was not upheld. However, feedback was issued to the board regarding the initiation of oral nutrition supplements, in line with the Scottish Hip Fracture Guidance. The Ombudsman also found delays in how NHS Ayrshire and Arran responded to the family's complaint and noted that not all concerns raised were fully addressed. Although the board had acknowledged these issues and taken action to address them, this part of the complaint was also upheld. The SPSO has asked NHS Ayrshire and Arran to apologise to the family for both the failings in nursing care and the handling of their complaint. The apology must meet the standards set out in the Ombudsman's guidance. To prevent similar failings in future, the Ombudsman recommended improvements including: Timely and accurate assessments for pressure sore risks and care; Prompt and repeated malnutrition screening with properly completed food charts; Person-centred care planning with consistent and supporting documentation. Jennifer Wilson, NHS Ayrshire and Arran nurse director, said: 'I am sorry that we did not meet the high standards of care that we strive for within NHS Ayrshire and Arran for this patient and offer my deepest condolences to their family. "The board fully accepts the recommendations in the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) report. "We have issued a formal apology to the family of [the patient] and are working through the recommendations highlighted in the SPSO report. "To ensure learning across the organisation, we will share the findings from the report with staff and seek assurance from our teams that the necessary actions have been completed.'
