The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered former Mexico, Pampanga Mayor Teddy Tumang and several local officials to respond to a graft complaint involving the allegedly overpriced purchase of land for a new municipal hall and public market.

In an order dated 20 November and released Wednesday, the Ombudsman directed the respondents to submit counter-affidavits following an investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation’s Organized and Transnational Crimes Division.

The NBI investigation, which originated from documents provided by the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, alleged a “deliberate and unlawful scheme” to acquire two parcels of land in 2023. Investigators found the properties were purchased at prices up to 700 percent higher than their previous acquisition costs.

The transactions involved a P29.5- million property in Barangay San Antonio for a proposed municipal hall and a P50.03-million parcel in Barangay San Jose Matulid for a public market.

According to the NBI, the acquisitions bypassed mandatory feasibility studies, proper appraisals, and public hearings. Investigators also noted the lands were located outside the zoning areas identified in the municipality’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan.

“The systematic disregard of mandatory procedures reflects manifest partiality and evident bad faith,” the NBI stated in its report, adding that the irregularities suggested a coordinated effort to favor private landowners.