Lawmaker’s bid to consolidate graft cases denied anew

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has upheld an earlier ruling rejecting an appeal of a party-list representative to consolidate all 14 graft cases filed against him.

The anti-graft court said the motion for reconsideration filed by Uswag Ilonggo party-list Rep. James Ang Jr. lacked merit.

Ang has been facing complaints of conflict of interest for allegedly maintaining financial interest in Allencon Development Corp., which obtained several government contracts involving public works.

The court said the cases pending before several divisions stemmed from a single resolution of the Office of the Ombudsman.

The charges involved a “distinct public infrastructure project with its own unique contract, procurement process and financial records,” which require the court to “evaluate liability on a per-project bases rather than collectively,” the court said in denying Ang’s motion.