OMBUDSMAN Jesus Crispin Remulla yesterday ordered the withdrawal of cases recently filed before the Sandiganbayan involving officials of the Duterte administration and Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation in connection with the alleged multi-billion procurement of overpriced and substandard medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At a press briefing, Remulla clarified that only those cases which have yet to be arraigned by the anti-graft court would be withdrawn for further evaluation. He stressed that the review is necessary to ensure that the Ombudsman will have a strong case against those named as respondents.
‘What I really want to happen is that when file the information at the Sandiganbayan, everything is already trial-ready. And I don’t feel that this was the case with the complaint we previously filed,’ the Ombudsman pointed out.
He explained that based on his observation, the cases were filed without proper coordination between the fact-finding teams, the prosecution teams and the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
In fact, Remulla said he learned that the special prosecutor had no involvement in the preparation for the filing of these cases.
‘I believe that this should be the product of a unified body of work, so everything is consistent. You can’t have one fact-finding team come up with different results from another.
One office should not contradict another. The Ombudsman’s office should move as one. There should be a single voice coming from the Ombudsman,’ he said.
Last October 10, the Ombudsman filed eight criminal cases against several individuals led by former budget undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao in connection with the procurement of personal protective equipment during the COVID 19 pandemic.
These cases have yet to undergo arraignment by the Sandiganbayan. Remulla also said he will summon former senator and chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Richard Gordon during the 18th Congress to shed light about the committee’s finding on the issue involving Pharmally.
Gordon earlier asked Remulla to reopen the Pharmally case which involves the alleged anomalous transfer of P421.4billion COVID funds from the Department of Health to the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service for the purchase of P8.6 billion worth of face masks, face shields, and personal protective equipment during the pandemic.
Gordon expressed belief that former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained in The Hague, Netherlands, for alleged crimes against humanity in relation to his bloody anti-illegal drug war, can still be held liable for the anomaly.
The committee’s report did not prosper for failure to gather the required signatures from its members.
‘If the Office of the Ombudsman can take cognizance of anonymous complaints, why not a case where a senator of the Republic, along with other senators, agree on,’ Remulla explained.
‘I think that should be clarified. Even if it is not an official committee report, they can act as complainants, even in their individual capacity as Filipino citizens. We should honor their complaints,’ he added
Remulla said the review of the cases would not take long since these had already undergone preliminary investigation.
‘What is needed is to thoroughly study the resolution based on the evidence gathered during the hearings and all the evidence that are now in the Ombudsman’s custody,’ he said.