Teodoro presents 28 witnesses to DOJ to refute sexual abuse allegations vs him
Marikina Rep. Marcelino Teodoro went to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday to submit his counteraffidavit as he also presented 28 witnesses to refute the complaints for acts of lasciviousness and rape by sexual assault filed against him by two police officers.
Teodoro was accompanied by his wife, Marikina Mayor Marjorie Ann Teodoro, and his legal counsel, Alma Mallonga, for the first day of the preliminary investigation being conducted by the DOJ on the case.
According to Mallonga, the 28 witnesses came to the DOJ to show that “the incredible tale being presented by the complainants could not have even happened.”
Teodoro, for his part, reiterated that the complaints against him were politically motivated.
“It seems the purpose, as we saw earlier, is simply to damage not only our reputation but also our programs and activities,” he said.
The complaints against Teodoro for alleged violations of the Revised Penal Code were filed by two female police officers who were assigned as part of his close-in security personnel.
In a statement on Sept. 25, the DOJ said one of the police officers claimed that during the early period of her assignment, Teodoro allegedly committed acts of lasciviousness against her.
The other complainant, who earlier provided security to Teodoro’s wife before being assigned to the lawmaker, accused him of rape by sexual assault, in addition to also committing acts of lasciviousness.
Countersuit
Teodoro denied the accusations against him and filed perjury charges against the two police officers on Monday.
Mallonga told reporters that during Tuesday’s proceedings, they asked the two police officers for details about their affidavits, particularly the unidentified witnesses to the alleged crimes committed by Teodoro.
“What’s surprising here is that they did not want to answer. The complainants refused to respond and said they needed a lawyer, which is strange … In our view, it will show that their story is purely fiction,” she said.
The panel of prosecutors scheduled the next hearing on Oct. 28, with Mallonga expressing confidence that the “truth will prevail” over the “sham complaints.”
“False claims of rape, those fabricated stories about rape, harm everyone, especially the real victims of rape. That’s why we hope this will not happen again, and we are confident that the process will ultimately yield the justice that Congressman Teodoro deserves,” she said.
