The Office of the Ombudsman on Tuesday announced that the four former security escorts of ex-Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co may face criminal charges, including plunder, after their recanted their previous statements linking former House Speaker Martin Romualdez in the multi-billion flood control scandal.
At a press briefing, Assistant Ombudsman Jose Dominic Clavano IV disclosed that the Ombudsman has yet to receive an official copy of the recantations of Co’s former bodyguards.
However, Clavano noted that the supposed recantations were already attached to the counter-affidavit submitted by Romualdez last August 7 in response to the plunder, graft, bribery and money laundering charges filed against him for allegedly manipulating and pocketing funds intended for flood control projects of the government from 2022 to 20225 amounting to at least P56 billion.
The case against Romualdez is currently undergoing preliminary investigation before the Office of the Ombudsman.
Romualdez’s camp, according to Clavano, has asked the panel handling the preliminary investigation for extension to file a supplemental counter-affidavit Clavano said the panel has yet to decide whether to grant the defense addition time to file the supplemental counter-affidavit.
‘There are indications that the panel of investigators may implead as part of the plunder charge the former security escorts of Zaldy Co, four of whom recently allegedly recanted their earlier statement implicating former Speaker [Martin] Romualdez, Co, and other officials in the alleged cash deliveries at the heart of this case,’ Clavano said.
‘But for all intents and purposes, the investigators do plan to include them as part of the charge because if they will not become witnesses for the prosecution, then they are merely respondents in a crime where they delivered billions of pesos to the respondents in this case,’ he added.
It may be recalled that the Ombudsman has tagged Romualdez as ‘the central figure in a scheme built on the diversion of public funds meant for flood control projects.’
In elevating the complaint to the preliminary investigation stage against Romualdez, the Ombudsman gave weight to the sworn statements of eight of the 18 former soldiers who formerly served as Co’s security escorts.
The Ombudsman said Co’s former bodyguards gave firsthand accounts about the amounts delivered from Co to Romualdez believed to be kickbacks from flood control projects.
The witnesses, according to the Ombudsman, were present, moved with Co, and witnessed the exchange of money firsthand.
The Ombudsman also noted that the affidavits of the bodyguards are corroborated by an independent evidentiary trail – from money exchange companies to bank transfers to shell companies – all using personalities tied to Romualdez.
However, four of the security escorts recanted their affidavits a day before Romualdez filed his counter-affidavit allegedly due to monetary considerations.
Clavano said lawyer Levito Baligod, who serves as legal counsel for Co’s former security personnel, has turned over several evidence including a flash drive containing video recordings to prove that there was money involved over their decision to withdraw their sworn affidavits.
‘If we can show na may consideration yung pag-recant nila, then it will only bolster our position that these affidavits, yung unang affidavit ay totoo talaga,’ Clavano said.