Supreme Court Voids Dismissal of Former Ombudsman Official

The Supreme Court reversed the dismissal of Melchor Arthur Carandang from his position as overall deputy ombudsman, the court decision uploaded this month states. The ruling voids the 2018 action by the Office of the President and requires payment of back wages and retirement benefits to Carandang, who could not be reinstated due to the passage of time.

Duterte allies filed a complaint against him after he told reporters that bank records shown by former senator Antonio Trillanes IV appeared similar to records from the Anti-Money Laundering Council. The Office of the President fired Carandang in 2018.

The following year, the official who succeeded Conchita Carpio Morales as ombudsman carried out the dismissal. Carandang challenged the action in court and obtained a ruling in his favor seven years later. The Supreme Court stated that the president has no disciplining power over officials of independent constitutional bodies such as the Office of the Ombudsman.

This limits the ability of the president to remove such officials. Carandang's former colleagues expressed support for the outcome. One recalled that he was among the office's early staff members, had advanced to its second-highest position, and had no record of corruption or abuse of authority.

"I am happy that he has now been fully vindicated, but I personally want to see the lawyers who pushed for his dismissal — the illegality of which they openly admitted — punished for their blatantly wrongful conduct," the former colleague said in a message to a reporter.

The court added in its decision that allowing a president to unilaterally discipline officials responsible for investigating potential wrongdoing within an administration creates conditions at odds with transparency and accountability. Carandang declined to comment on the ruling.

He had faced damage to his reputation and that of his family during the process. The decision provides him with vindication and restores his retirement benefits.

The events began when Carandang handled the probe into Duterte's finances. After the complaint against him, the dismissal followed despite the Ombudsman's status as an independent body. Court proceedings extended until the Supreme Court issued its decision in 2026.

The ruling reinforces the independence of the Office of the Ombudsman from presidential control in disciplinary matters. It clarifies boundaries on executive authority over constitutional officials charged with oversight functions.