Romualdez asks Remulla to stop ‘biased’ probe
Former Speaker Martin Romualdez has asked the Office of the Ombudsman to stop investigating his alleged role in the multibillion-peso flood control corruption scandal, saying that the government’s chief antigraft prosecutor was biased against him and had prejudged his case.
The Leyte representative made the request through his lawyers from the Villaraza & Angangco law firm in an April 22 letter to the Ombudsman’s office that they made public on Friday.
Also on Friday, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) announced that the Court of Appeals had ordered the freezing of the assets of a “prominent incumbent legislator,” a business associate and a “corporate entity” believed to be connected to fraudulent government projects.
They were not identified to prevent possible dissipation of the assets, the AMLC explained.
The assets covered by the court’s April 23 directive include 25 bank accounts and 10 insurance policies in the legislator’s name; 27 bank accounts, 10 insurance policies and one investment account tied to the alleged associate; and two bank accounts, seven property accounts and a real estate asset registered under the corporate entity.
Romualdez’s lawyers said in their letter that an independent body should investigate him, arguing that Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla had made several statements against their client as early as November last year when he said that his office planned to file a plunder case against the former Speaker.
‘Master plunderer’
On April 16, Assistant Ombudsman Jose Dominic Clavano IV labeled Romualdez as a “master plunderer.” Earlier, Remulla himself said Romualdez was part of a conspiracy to siphon billions of pesos from the anomalous contracts for flood control, the lawyers said in their four-page letter.
“These statements give rise to the reasonable impression that the Honorable Ombudsman has already resolved to prosecute our client for plunder, notwithstanding the fact that no preliminary investigation has yet been initiated, much less completed,” they said.
“This request is made not as a challenge to integrity, but in recognition of the high standards to which the Office of the Ombudsman is rightly held,” they said, adding that their task was aimed at shielding “its proceedings from unnecessary questions regarding objectivity or fairness.”
The lawyers said that Remulla’s statements that the Office of the Ombudsman was preparing charges against Romualdez had cast a shadow over the impartiality of its probe and “already determined that our client is guilty of plunder even before any case has been filed and while it is still performing investigatory duties.”
“They unmistakably demonstrate prejudgment and, in the minds of reasonable observers, render Rep. Romualdez’s participation in the flood control anomalies a foregone conclusion,” they added.
The lawyers believe that any probe by graft investigators will be tainted with bias and there is a “reasonable certainty” that any investigation “will be a mere formality.”
“The investigation would be a sham and violative of due process,” they said.
Romualdez and his lawyers did not say which independent investigating body should investigate him.
ICI probe
The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), which was created by President Marcos, Romualdez’s first cousin, concluded in March its six-month probe into alleged nonexistent and shoddy flood control works worth hundreds of billions of pesos across the country.
Its report was turned over to the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice. Authorities are withholding the release of the ICI report, citing concerns that a premature disclosure could compromise case development.
Several lawmakers and private contractors have been called to its hearings, including Romualdez, who attended the probe amid allegations that he masterminded the kickback scheme tied to anomalous flood control deals.
In a video statement on Tuesday, Romualdez said he had “nothing to hide” and pushed back against corruption allegations against him.
“I did not hide. I did not run. I did not evade scrutiny,” he said. “I faced it head-on, within the proper channel, because I know there is no evidence that proves I committed plunder, conspiracy to commit plunder, or any similar offense that the Ombudsman may be contemplating against me.”
The Ombudsman’s investigators, led by Deputy Special Prosecutor Omar Sagadal, said that they had made a preliminary finding of probable cause against Romualdez for plunder, direct and indirect bribery, and money laundering.
The Sandiganbayan has granted Remulla’s request to stop Romualdez from leaving the country for medical treatment in Singapore. Antigraft investigators told the antigraft court that the former Speaker “presents an exceptionally high probability of flight.”
The Ombudsman also said he had requested the AMLC to freeze Romualdez’s assets, but it was unclear whether the appellate court’s April 23 order pertained to the former Speaker.
The AMLC statement on Friday did not disclose the total value of the frozen assets, saying only that these were linked to alleged violations of the Revised Penal Code and the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
21 forfeiture petitions
“The filing of this petition for freeze order underscores the AMLC’s continuous commitment to uphold public accountability and protecting the integrity of the Philippine financial system,” AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura said.
A freeze order is a provisional remedy that preserves assets with probable links to unlawful activity before a forfeiture case is filed.
The AMLC has so far lodged 12 civil forfeiture petitions in various regional trial courts over properties tied to the flood control scandal. The courts have issued asset preservation orders preventing the transfer, disposal or movement of the properties while the forfeiture cases are pending.
Malacañang earlier said the government is still pursuing individuals involved in the flood control scandal despite the termination of the ICI’s work.
Escudero, Co tagged
In his video statement, Romualdez denied any participation in either the bicameral conference committee or “small committee” closed-door budget deliberations where suspected “insertions” were made and from which the multibillion kickbacks originated.
“However, two people were instrumental in making those budget decisions: (the then Senate President) Chiz Escudero and Zaldy Co (the then chair of the House appropriations committee),” he said.
The Leyte congressman sounded combative, saying he would defend himself against allegations implicating him in the corruption and kickback scandal.
“So, when the legal process is being used against me as a political demolition job, then, I will have no choice but to defend myself,” Romualdez said. “And I will defend myself fully.”
He said he would not allow himself to be turned into a “scapegoat” and let those responsible go scot-free.
“If this is a political play to push me out and close the story, tarnishing my name and my reputation, then I am telling everyone now: I will not go quietly, and I will not go alone. I will not be the fall guy for other people’s corruption,” he declared.
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