The Office of the Ombudsman has verified the dismissal of both criminal and administrative complaints filed against Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon concerning the infrastructure development for the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, citing a lack of sufficient proof.
This confirmation follows an earlier statement from Malacañang asserting that Dizon had been exonerated after a thorough review of the matter.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano disclosed on Thursday, July 16, that the graft and malversation cases initiated by the Citizens Crime Watch (CCW) against Dizon and three co-respondents in October 2020 had reached a resolution.
“Upon checking the records of this case, it appears that the case filed against Sec. Vince Dizon, etc. regarding the construction of the sports facilities for the 2019 SEA Games has been dismissed for insufficiency of evidence. This is contained in a joint resolution issued back in December, 2021,” Clavano told reporters covering the Ombudsman.
The other individuals implicated in the case included Elvira Estanislao, BCDA senior vice president for legal services; Elpidio Vega, an attorney from the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC); and Isaac David, who represented the Malaysian builder MTD Capital Berhad for the sports infrastructure projects located at New Clark City in Tarlac.
According to the CCW’s initial filing, the respondents supposedly breached Republic Act No. 3019, otherwise known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, alongside committing public fund malversation under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code.
The watchdog group had claimed that the public officials colluded to grant MTD Capital Berhad a ₱8.51-billion joint venture agreement (JVA) to construct the athletic facilities.
The group flagged several purported anomalies in the deal, pointing to an alleged absence of competitive public bidding, a lack of designated budget appropriations, and unapproved alterations to the primary contract.