Legarda camp asks Ombudsman to reconsider plunder, graft raps

Senator Loren Legarda’s camp is calling on the Office of the Ombudsman to reconsider the plunder and graft complaints filed against her and her son, Congressman Leandro Leviste, citing "insufficient evidence." Atty. Tony La Viña, spokesperson for Legarda, argued that the complaints do not meet the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) new policy standard, which requires prima facie evidence with a reasonable certainty of conviction before a case can be filed. "We would like the government… especially the Ombudsman to reconsider at wag na nilang ituloy ito (not pursue this anymore)," La Viña said at a news forum on Friday. La Viña described the Ombudsman’s probe into Legarda and Leviste as "lawfare," or the weaponization of the law, and suggested that the timing of the complaint against Leviste is likely connected to his earlier exposés on government corruption. "Kung magpatuloy sila, I have to say, clearly political ito, di ba? This is lawfare, this is weaponization of the law… This is actually to stop Leandro Leviste speaking about corruption. And parang nag-succeed sila, ‘di ba? Kasi napatahimik nila right now," La Vina said. Legarda and Leviste are facing plunder and graft complaints in connection with the latter’s solar energy projects valued at P10.44 billion. Both have denied the allegations and filed a counter-affidavit answering the complaint. Legarda has been on medical leave since August 3 to undergo treatment for a lung illness and is currently receiving care in France. La Viña also denounced allegations that Leviste should be held accountable for the non-implementation of the Solar para sa Bayan project. According to him, Leviste never received the required implementing rules and regulations from the Department of Energy (DOE), which subsequently led to the revocation of his solar project’s franchise. "Totoo ba na hindi na-implement yung Solar ng Bayan? Totoo, kasi ‘di naglabas ‘yung DOE ng rules and regulations and ng places kung saan ito i-implement," La Viña explained. "Because the law provided na once na in 2 years kung ‘di mo siya maimplement… automatically revoked ang franchise mo. Na-revoke siya. Uulitin ko, hindi kasalanan ni Leandro Leviste [at]... hindi kasama si Loren Legarda sa pag-approve, in fact, nag-inhibit siya." He further denied claims that Leviste owes P10 billion or P24 billion in debt, adding that his projects account for only about 10% of the market and he does not hold a monopoly on renewable energy contracts. La Viña reiterated that Leviste is an innovator whose motivation is to accelerate the country's solar energy transition. Regarding Legarda, he stated she should not be implicated simply because she is Leviste’s mother. "Having said that, the only accusation against Loren Legarda is nanay ka ng bata," La Vina said. He warned that if these cases are filed, "it will send a signal to all the renewable energy investors: ‘Do not go to the Philippines, because you will be charged with plunder if you fail to complete your project.’" This is a natural consequence, he added, as it is a common occurrence for projects to be unviable after assessment. Source: GMA News Philippines