The Sandiganbayan officially issued warrants for the arrest of USWAG Ilonggo Partylist Rep. James “Jojo” Ang Jr. and former Sultan Kudarat representative Arnulfo Go with separate cases linked to the alleged conflict of interest due to their role in Congress.

The cases against Ang and Go were supposedly linked to their ties with construction firms that had dealings with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) through various infrastructure projects.

Ang was charged with 14 counts of graft, particularly Section 3(h) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act which explicitly prohibits public officials from having a direct or indirect financial or pecuniary interest in contracts that their office participates in.

“The Office of the Ombudsman has filed 14 counts of graft before the Sandiganbayan against Partylist Rep. James “Jojo” Ang Jr. (USWAG Ilonggo),” Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said over the weekend.

“While sitting in Congress, Rep. Ang holds a stake in a construction firm that won P214 million in DPWH contracts–and was paid nearly P199 million for them,” he added.

Clavano maintained that the constitution had made it clear that the concept of “conflict of interest” was a serious issue, stressing that such dealings did not require proof that cash was actually dealt, solely needing for substantial evidence that the lawmaker “stood to profit” from the transaction.

Go, on the other hand, will face criminal charges of graft and malversation for an anomalous exchange that supposedly had a connection with the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

The former lawmaker served consecutive terms as the representative of the second congressional district of Sultan Kudarat from 2007 to 2016.

Also accused in the case were Lebak municipal officials Dionesio Besana, Allan Bayani, and Mario Labrador.

Aside from arrest warrants, the respondents were also issued with Hold Departure Orders (HDO) as a result of the finding of probable cause.

Notably, the court that issued the arrest warrants was the anti-graft court’s Third Division, which also handles the cases of former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla and Senator Rodante Marcoleta.