Manila, Dec. 18 -- The Supreme Court (SC) has ruled that the Commission on Elections' (Comelec) unreasonable delay in investigating an election offense violated a mayoral candidate's right to the speedy disposition of his case.

In the 22-page decision made public on Thursday, the SC en banc nullified the Comelec's resolution finding probable cause to charge Petronilo Solomon Sarigumba for violating the Omnibus Election Code.

Sarigumba ran and lost in the mayoral race in Loboc, Bohol in the May 2010 elections. He later filed his Statement of Election Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) as required by law.

Four years later, the Comelec Campaign Finance Unit (CFU) asked him to explain his alleged overspending based on his SOCE.

After h...