A week after ordering his suspension, the Sandiganbayan has acquitted Oroquieta City Vice Mayor Lemuel Meyrick Acosta of graft charges for purchasing spare parts for P36,800.01 from his own mother鈥檚 company.
In a 16-page resolution, the court鈥檚 Seventh Division granted Acosta鈥檚 demurrer and ruled the prosecution鈥檚 evidence insufficient to convict him for four counts of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The law prohibits officials from having an interest in government transactions involving their offices.
Acosta was accused of favoring H&Y General Merchandise, owned by his mother, Yolanda, in four transactions from March 2004 to February 2005.
But the court said the Ombudsman had failed to prove Acosta鈥檚 actual intervention in the transactions, saying that signing the disbursement vouchers and other procurement documents 鈥渉ardly鈥� met the criteria set by the graft law. 鈥�Vince F. Nonato