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MANILA – The Philippines anti-corruption court ordered the confiscation of P-9 million worth of property owned by former Manila Deputy Mayor Danilo Lacuna and his wife Melanie, after they were found to be “disproportionate” to their combined income .
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by the Ombudsman’s Office in 2006 that alleged that the couple did not have the personal financial capacity to buy the properties between 1998 and 2004.
In the Sandiganbayan 3rd Division decision, he said Lacuna earned P3.034 million from 1998 to 2004 as deputy mayor, while his wife, who worked as an employee of the Philippine National Bank, had total earnings of P8.669 million.
“This disproportion creates a controversial presumption that the properties acquired between 1998 and 2004 were acquired illegally,” the court said in Associate Judge Bernelito Fernández’s decision.
The presiding judge and the president of the division, Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, and associate judge Sarah Jane Fernandez agreed with the ruling.
The original complaints to the Ombudsman included criminal charges that were ultimately dismissed, but recommended filing a forfeiture case.
The former vice mayor refuted all the accusations against him in his counter-affidavit in 2008 presented to the Ombudsman.
The Lacunas added that they had other legitimate sources of income from their properties in Manila, as well as a restaurant in Melanie’s name and other sources such as inheritance.
The former deputy mayor also said he was a lawyer who was in private practice before entering public service.
“Although the spouses surveyed insist that they had savings and secured loans to purchase the real estate or that Melanie inherited a fish pond, there was no evidence of actual income derived from them,” the court said.
Sandiganbayan, bribery, corruption, Vice Mayor of Manila, Danilo Lacuna, Melanie Lacuna, property, anti-bribery court
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