The Office of the Ombudsman’s indictment cases fell by 71 percent in 2018.
Last year, the Ombudsman’s indictment dropped by 71 percent from a record of 2,513 cases in 2017.
The Ombudsman was only able to file 739 cases in 2018, or a difference of 1,774 cases with 178 of them recorded under the first five months of Ombudsman Samuel Martires after his assumption into office on July 26, 2018.
Former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales reported 978 cases filed in the same period from August to September 2017, or an 81 percent drop year-on-year.
Martires said the anti-graft body would conduct an inventory of all cases under fact-finding investigation.
He ordered the dismissal of investigations more than one-year-old without prejudice to its refiling.
The Ombudsman approved some indictments of former and incumbent public officials left behind by Morales.
Violation of Republic Act 3009 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices ranked no. 1 in the number of cases filed in 2018 with 341, followed by malversation with 144 and falsification at 115.
On the other hand, the Sandiganbayan’s disposed cases plunged by 15 percent.
It was able to dispose of 1,075 cases in 2018 against 2017’s 1,264 cases.
Among the significant cases resolved by the Sandiganbayan were the graft conviction of former First Lady Imelda Marcos and the acquittal of the plunder case of ex-senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.