MANILA, Philippines — The lawyer and spokesperson of Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Wednesday questioned the Office of the Ombudsman’s continued focus on his client, arguing that recent witness recantations and testimonies have weakened the case against the former House speaker.
Ade Fajardo said the Ombudsman appeared to be singling out Romualdez despite what he described as a lack of credible evidence linking the lawmaker to alleged irregularities in flood control and other infrastructure projects.
“We cannot understand why they have been giving that much attention, why they have been singling out Rep. Romualdez when there’s no credible evidence against him,” Fajardo said in a statement.
Romualdez faces allegations that he facilitated budget insertions for allegedly anomalous infrastructure projects and received kickbacks from them. He and his legal team have denied the allegations and maintained that the House speaker does not control every stage of the congressional budget process.
Fajardo cited the recantations of Orly Guteza and some of the 18 former bodyguards of former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co, as well as statements from 25 drivers and security aides of Co and his family that he said favor Romualdez.
He also pointed to the reported dismissal of plunder and graft charges against former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan in a related infrastructure scandal.
Fajardo questioned why the Ombudsman continued pursuing Romualdez after several individuals either withdrew earlier statements or denied knowledge of alleged deliveries of money.
“That’s why we are confused why they are treating the former speaker this way. They seem to be making this too personal,” he said.
Fajardo also rejected Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano’s position that witness recantations could serve as additional evidence that investigators could compare with earlier statements to determine which accounts were credible.
Fajardo said investigators should instead evaluate the initial statements, recantations and subsequent testimonies together to resolve inconsistencies.
The lawyer has repeatedly criticized the Ombudsman’s handling of the case in recent days. On Aug. 27, he said there was no basis to charge Romualdez if investigators no longer had credible witnesses against him.
Palace press officer Claire Castro said Romualdez’s camp could express its views but maintained that the administration was following due process and evidence.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. previously said during his State of the Nation Address that while it was painful to see cases filed against Romualdez, his cousin, pursuing the cases was the right thing to do.
