Ombudsman: Plunder raps vs Romualdez 'very close'

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman is close to filing plunder charges against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez over his alleged role in a kickback scheme involving flood control projects, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said Friday, July 17. "[We're] very close to filing the plunder charges. But we still have to cross the t's and dot the i's," Remulla said in a press conference. "Ganoon kalapit na 'yan." ("That's how close it is.") Remulla said the case is moving from fact-finding to preliminary investigation and that his office has evidence against Romualdez. "Meron na," he said when asked if there was already enough evidence. ("There is already.") Remulla said his office had to be meticulous in preparing the case against the former speaker. "Kinakailangan kasi pag tiningnan 'yung kasong pina-file mo, isang buo siyang kapananiwala at madaling makapa. Kasi baka mamaya kung saan-saan nanggagaling 'yung idea mo, hindi maganda ang pagkakagawa. Syempre magsa-suffer ang kaso," he said. ("When the case you file is examined, it has to be complete, credible and easy to follow. Otherwise, if your ideas are coming from all over the place and the case is not well put together, the case will suffer.") He also cited the resources of Romualdez's camp, claiming that close to 100 lawyers were working for the former speaker. "Mahirap kalaban ang maraming magagaling na abogado at maraming pera," Remulla said. "Walang madali rito sa ginagawa namin. Walang madali rito." ("It is difficult to go up against many good lawyers and a lot of money. There is nothing easy about what we are doing. Nothing here is easy.") In April, the Department of Justice filed a complaint before the Ombudsman charging Romualdez with plunder, direct bribery, indirect bribery, money laundering and violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. The complaint alleged that Romualdez was the "purported mastermind" of a kickback scheme tied to ghost flood control projects, with kickbacks amounting to about P56 billion. His lawyers have also sought Remulla's inhibition from the investigation, arguing in a letter in April that the Ombudsman's public statements showed the prosecution had "effectively been decided in advance."