Ex-Pampanga lawmaker charged with graft at Sandiganbayan

The Office of the Ombudsman formally charged former Pampanga Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. with three counts of graft at the Sandiganbayan on Friday over alleged conflict of interest involving government projects costing P611 million.

In a press conference after the filing, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said that their findings had uncovered that Gonzales failed to divest his financial interests in ADG Construction, which had entered into three different infrastructure contracts with the government.

“There’s a divestment but it still flows back to him, the money returns to him. So there was really no real divestment,” Remulla explained.

“If you trace it from the anti-money laundering records, the payments that he made to the construction companies where he supposedly divested, [it] still goes to his private bank accounts,” he added.

Gonzales was among the lawmakers that have been repeatedly mentioned by the Ombudsman as alleged “cong-tractors” for their financial interest in government-awarded projects.

The charges against the former House Deputy Speaker stemmed from complaints that were filed within the year concerning contracts that were awarded by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Regional Office III.

One of the complaints came from the Ombudsman’s Field Investigation Office while the other came from residents of Barangay Sto. Cristo, Mexico, Pampanga Barangay Captain Terence Sampang Napao.

The complainants found that there were issues in the projects, with some exhibiting signs of severe erosion, fractured concrete sections, exposed metal components, and other signs of deterioration.

“You can only imagine the difficulties this has brought the community,” Remulla said.

The particular projects involved in the cases were a P252 million contract for flood mitigation facilities along San Fernando and Bacolor, Pampanga, and several flood control structures within Mexico, Pampanga amounting to P359 million.

Gonzales was charged for an alleged violation of Section 3(h) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act which prohibits public officers from having a direct or indirect financial interest in any contract where they may intervene in their official capacity.

The former lawmaker, for his part, reportedly argued that the amounts that came from his shares in the construction company were transferred to his sister.

Prosecutors, however, noted that such an arrangement was simply an attempt to temporarily hide his persistent business interest.

The DAILY TRIBUNE has reached to the Gonzales for a formal response regarding the charges but has yet to receive a response.