Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) chair Erineo “Ayong” Maliksi is sued for graft for allegedly using his position to release charity funds for his driver.
In a complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, Jennifer Castro charged Maliksi for graft and violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
The complainant said Maliksi used his position to speed up the release of P2.151 million in PCSO funds for his late driver Celestino Aman.
Maliksi also allegedly used his unused P700,000 Priority Development Assistance Funds to pay for Aman’s remaining hospital expenses balance, even though the Supreme Court had scrapped the pork barrel system as unconstitutional.
“What is crucial is not the granting of the patient’s application for assistance of the PCSO, rather the amount being endorsed. It’s very evident that there was preferential treatment to Mr. Aman being the driver of the respondent,” the complaint read.
“(I)t was the respondent himself who personally pushed for the speedy release of the benefit to his driver,” it added.
Maliksi is sued for the criminal offense of violating Sections 3(a) and 3(j) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and the administrative offense of violating Section 4(a) and 4(c) of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
Maliksi, a Liberal Party member, earlier faced a graft case before the Sandiganbayan for the allegedly irregular procurement of medicines worth P2.5 million in 2002, but the court junked the case due to the Ombudsman’s delay in resolving the case.
