| ► Former Judge Gregory Ong of Manila; ethical leprechaun |
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Former Judge Gregory Ong of
The state of
Former president Joseph Estrada was duped into appointing Gregory as an associate justice on the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court. Ong is reported to be the seventh richest associate justice on the court with a net worth of P16million ($3.6 million).
Judge Ong is allegedly a cousin of pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles. Ong got into trouble when pork barrel scam witnesses Benhur Loy and Marina Sula testified before the Philippine Senate that Ong and Ms. Napoles talked about the developments in her case. They also testified that Ong visited Napoles in her office at the Discovery Suites in
In 2013, the Philippine Supreme Court ordered an investigation that confirmed Ong had close ties with and received money from Napoles for fixing her case. That investigation recommended that administrative charges be filed against Ong for gross misconduct, dishonesty and impropriety.
The Supreme Court unanimously decided that Ong was guilty of receiving a payoff from the acquittal of criminal charges filed against Napoles.
In late September 2014, the Supreme Court ordered Ong removed from the bench. The court also ordered that all of Ong’s retirement benefits be forfeited. And lastly, he was barred from government service.
As we speak (ca. October 2014), Ong practices law in the greater
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