The Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) has filed graft charges against an official of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Naga City for allegedly registering 26 motor vehicles and paying them with his own personal check with insufficient funds, it was learned Thursday.

Charged with violation of R.A 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act before the Naga Regional Trial Court was Benjamin Posugac, assistant chief of the Naga City LTO.

The OMB eight-page resolution was approved by Acting Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro.

The investigation conducted by OMB Prosecution Officer Marietta M. Ramirez stated “there exists probable cause to indict Benjamin Posugac for the commission of a crime defined under Section 3a of Republic Act 3019.”

She said the pieces of evidence presented by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) against Posugac are sufficient to hold him for trial before the court.

The OMB took note of the letter of LTO Naga City cashier Nelly Loquias that on June 28, 1998 or the last day of payment for vehicle registration due for the month, the respondent gave her 26 sets of documents for registration under various names. The respondent issued one check to cover the registration payment amounting to more than P52,000, but the cashier initially refused to accept the check for it is not the practice of the agency to issue one check for various registrations, especially by an LTO employee as the drawer.

The cashier was eventually persuaded to accept it, but was later replaced with cash when the check bounced.