A FORMER assistant secretary of the Department of Energy is facing arrest on four counts of perjury for allegedly misdeclaring his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.

Ombudsman’s lawyers have asked the Sandiganbayan Third Division to issue an arrest of warrant against former Energy Assistant Secretary Cesar Ramirez after Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez has approved a memorandum from the Office of Legal Affairs recommending his prosecution.

The three counts of perjury against Ramirez, who served under former Energy Secretary Vincent Perez, arose from his failure to disclose he had an illegitimate daughter in the SALN he had filed for the years 1997, 1998 and 1999.

Ramirez’s fourth perjury case stemmed from his failure to disclose he had a sister-in-law also employed with the Energy Department.

Assistant special prosecutor II Joselito Ferrer, acting deputy special prosecutor Jesus Micael and acting prosecution bureau III director Manuel Soriano Jr. earlier sought withdrawal of the perjury charges saying the accused had no legal obligation to disclose his kin.

They claimed the law only required declaration of the official’s assets, liabilities networth as well as financial and business interests of his own and of his spouse and unmarried minor children.

But the Ombudsman’s lawyers declared that Ramirez was duty-bound to include his illegitimate daughter and that his claim of lack of knowledge of the civil wedding between his brother and sister-in-law is not a valid defense. They did not say how they came to know of Ramirez’s illegitimate daughter. But they said the law does not make any distinction as to whether only legitimate children shall be disclosed for it plainly requires the names of children of the official. Macon Ramos Araneta