Philstar
Supreme Court rules against Comelec's year-long delay in Bohol case
The Supreme Court has dismissed an election overspending case against former Bohol mayoral candidate Petronilo Solomon Sarigumba due to an unreasonable delay by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The High Court ruled that Sarigumba's right to a speedy disposition of his case was violated, nullifying the Comelec's resolution that found probable cause to charge him.
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by the Comelec Campaign Finance Unit in 2014 regarding alleged overspending in the May 2010 mayoral race in Loboc, Bohol.
Sarigumba had requested several postponements of the preliminary investigation set for April 14, 2015, due to illness.
He subsequently failed to submit a counter-affidavit by the July 11, 2015 deadline.
Six years after the deadline, the Comelec en banc issued a resolution to charge Sarigumba, arguing he had waived his right to a speedy trial by failing to participate or raise the issue earlier.
🤖
This story was generated by AI to help you understand the key points. For more detailed coverage, please see the news articles from trusted media outlets below.
News Sources
See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
