MANILA, Philippines — Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla accused former Speaker Martin Romualdez's camp of allegedly weakening the government’s case in the multibillion-peso flood control scam by targeting key witnesses linking the lawmaker to the controversy.
Remulla made the accusation amid reports that four members of the so-called “maleta boys” or the 18 former Marines who claimed that Romualdez, along with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., former Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co, and other public officials, received kickbacks that were delivered in suitcases, retracted their statements.
Remulla, however, downplayed the retractions and said this was more to the government’s “advantage” because it showed “how desperate that camp is to take away the witnesses against them” since “a solid case” has been built.
"The camp of former Speaker Romualdez, his lawyers, his strategists, his advisers, the people who are helping him, all of them together... Who else would benefit in that recant?" he said.
The four former Marines have since claimed they signed pre-written affidavits because they were promised financial compensation and were threatened with legal consequences if they refused to participate. They have since executed notarized affidavits withdrawing their earlier accusations.
Prejudged
Romualdez denied Remulla’s allegation, saying the Ombudsman had prejudged him.
“The Ombudsman’s accusation that I am behind the recantations of the former Marines is absolutely not true,” Romualdez said in a statement.
Romualdez said the recantations only bolstered his long-standing claim that the allegations against him were fabricated.
“The recantations prove what I had been saying all along that the accusations against me are false and trumped up,” he said.
He also said he would continue to answer the allegations against him by relying on facts and evidence.
While Remulla remained confident, House prosecutor Terry Ridon said the retractions had weakened the case but maintained that the criminal proceedings against the group should continue.
The affidavit, executed by 18 former Marines earlier this year, alleged that they acted as couriers delivering cash-filled suitcases to politicians and government officials using proceeds from alleged flood control kickbacks. "The recantation of the four Maleta Boys is proof that tainted sources cannot be relied upon for the truth. This should decisively dismantle the allegations made against all personalities mentioned in the original affidavit, and in all proceedings in which this affidavit was used and referred to," Ridon told The Manila Times.
He said, however, that the recantations should not stop the cases filed against the group.
"Nonetheless, all criminal proceedings against the Maleta Boys should continue in order to get to the truth of their false utterances," Ridon said.
