Masbate gov cleared in fertilizer scam

MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan has dismissed the cases filed against Masbate Gov. Antonio Kho in connection with the fertilizer fund scam.

In a 16-page resolution released yesterday, the first division of the anti-graft court dismissed two counts of graft filed against Kho; Roger Rapsing, former provincial administrator and bids and awards committee chairman, and Victoria Ajero, area manager of Hexaphil Agriventures Inc., over the “inordinate delay”of the Office of the Ombudsman in conducting an investigation.

The court said the constitutional right to speedy investigation of the respondents were violated when the ombudsman  took more than five years to finish its probe and  file charges in court.

“The issues raised...are not complex. The number of respondents...is also not that numerous to justify the length of the investigation,” the court ruling penned by Associate Justice Geraldine Faith Econg read.