MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division has ordered the arrest of former Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) administrator Melquiades Robles, 10 other former officials of the agency, and another two for a graft case over an alleged anomalous implementation of a P400-million maintenance and janitorial service contract.
In a minute resolution dated Feb. 27 and released yesterday, the anti-graft court said it found sufficient grounds to issue a warrant of arrest.
The resolution was signed by Associate Justices Rafael Lagos, Reynaldo Cruz and Maria Theresa Mendoza-Arcega.
Aside from Robles, ordered arrested were former LRTA officials Federico Canar Jr., Dennis Francisco, Evelyn Macalino, Marilou Liscano, Elmo Stephen Triste, Eduardo Abiva, Nicholas Ombao, Roger Vaño, Maynard Tolosa and Juliet Labisto.
The court also included private respondents Lilia Diaz and Dennis Acorda of the joint venture of COMM Builders and Technology Philippines, Corp., PMP Inc. and Gradski Soabracaj GRAS.
The Fifth Division also directed the Bureau of Immigration to issue a hold departure order to bar them from leaving the country except when there is a written permission from the court.
Robles and some of the other respondents have yet to post bail as of yesterday afternoon, the Fifth Division Office of the Clerk of Court said.
Robles and his co-accused are facing one count each of violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The case stemmed from the alleged anomalous implementation of the maintenance and janitorial service contract that the LRTA entered with the joint venture of COMM Builders and Technology Philippines Corp., PMP Inc. and Gradski Soabracaj GRAS in January 2009, which was extended until July 2013, worth P400.6 million.
The ombudsman said that based on the contract, the joint venture was supposed to deploy 793 maintenance workers and janitors at the LRT Line 1’s stations and depots. Only 209 personnel were deployed, yet full payment was made to the firm.