Sandiganbayan (File photo)
MANILA – The Sandiganbayan has cleared the former chief of the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) of graft charges arising from a leadership dispute within the management of the Davao del Norte Electric Cooperative Inc. (Daneco).
The anti-graft court's Fifth Division acquitted Orlando Ravanera for insufficient evidence to prove there was partiality or negligence when he issued a certificate of good standing (CGS) and certificate of registration of amendment (CRA) to one of two disputing groups in the Daneco board.
"Whatever benefits or advantage that Daneco-CDA might have derived from the questioned acts of the accused was, in actuality, only incidental. Assuming arguendo that Daneco-CDA indeed used the CGS and CRA issued by the accused... this does not mean that it was the accused who had actually caused such a situation," read the 30-page decision dated May 5 and made public Monday.
"The issuance of the CGS and CRA by the accused is one thing. Quite another thing is the alleged non-compliance of the Daneco-CDA with NEA (National Electrification Administration)'s orders and directives."
Just last April 20, the Court of Appeals affirmed the Ombudsman’s 2019 decision to dismiss Ravanera from government service after finding him guilty of grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty.
Daneco member-consumers, who had a dispute with the general manager and 10 board members, filed the complaints against Ravanera.
They also sued the other group before the NEA in 2011 for grave misconduct because of alleged anomalous contracts.
In April 2012, the NEA ruled against the general manager’s group and penalized them with dismissal.
The group then called for a referendum for the conversion of Daneco into a stock cooperative to be registered with the CDA, which issued a certificate of registration also in 2012.
The aggrieved members protested and secured a temporary restraining order from the CA in 2013. The referendum was also declared illegal.
Ravanera went ahead with the certificate of registration, saying Daneco was already registered with the CDA, thus NEA had no more say on the matter.
The complainants said the involvement and participation of Ravanera emboldened Daneco to commit illegal acts, like collecting power bill payments, issuing fabricated receipts and illegal reconnections of disconnected power service lines, which caused them financial distress. (PNA)
