The private lawyer who filed graft and other criminal complaints against Sen. Francis Escudero said his fight against alleged corruption is personal but not motivated by any axe to grind, emphasizing that the case is about justice.
Lawyer Eldrige Marvin Aceron said this in an interview with reporters on Friday after he filed a complaint against Escudero and other officials of the Sorsogon provincial government, accusing them of orchestrating ‘systematic corruption’ and financial irregularities amounting to more than P352 million during the senator’s tenure as the province’s governor.
‘It’s my personal fight, but I am not alone. I have at least 370 people with me, and we will make this happen. We will continue until we get justice. He’s the senator with many anomalies. So we are filing charges against him,’ Aceron said.
‘I don’t even know him. I never met him. I’ve never been in a room with him. So there’s nothing personal. He’s the senator with many anomalies, and we are filing charges against him. No personal axe to grind. I don’t care who he is,’ he added.
Escudero was named as a respondent for possible violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019) and provisions of the Revised Penal Code, including technical malversation, fraud against the public treasury, and falsification of public documents.
Other respondents include members of the Bids and Awards Committee, Acting Provincial Accountant Rena Garcia, Provincial General Services Officer Rosalina (surname not provided), and the provincial treasurer, whose name has yet to be determined.