The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered government lawyers to explain and clarify the conflicting positions given by the Office of the Ombudsman on the power of the Court of Appeals (CA) to review legal issues involving the preventive suspension of public officials.
In a resolution issued last Tuesday, the SC said Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales had said that the CA has jurisdiction to review the suspension orders issued by her office but has no power to stop them through a temporary restraining order (TRO) or a writ of preliminary injunction (WPI) under Section 14, Paragraph 1, of RA 6770, the Ombudsman’s Act.
Morales’ view on the CA’s jurisdiction over her suspension order was aired during the oral arguments in Baguio City on the case she filed against the appellate court that stayed – through a TRO and later through a WPI – the six-month preventive suspension of Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr.
MANILA BULLETIN
