Imee seeks reversal of Ombudsman’s dismissal of cases vs Remulla

Senator Imee Marcos on Friday, 12 September, said she has filed a motion for reconsideration (MR) of the joint resolution before the Office of the Ombudsman dismissing the cases against Justice Secretary Boying Remulla.

The Office of the Ombudsman on Friday dismissed the criminal and administrative cases against Remulla, filed by Marcos in March, in connection with the arrest and transfer of former President Rodrigo Duterte to The Hague, Netherlands.

However, the dismissal is “without prejudice,” meaning it can still be refiled.

"Secretary Boying Remulla still has a pending case before the Office of the Ombudsman. Any Ombudsman clearance to the contrary is simply untruthful, and the people who will issue such a clearance are complicit in this deception," Marcos said in a statement.

Remulla, who is applying for Ombudsman, must first be cleared by the Office of the Ombudsman in his pending cases to be considered for the post.

The senator earlier vowed to block Remulla’s candidacy, calling it a political move to weaken the Duterte bloc ahead of the 2028 elections.

The Justice chief admitted in April that he personally issued the clearances for the former president’s arrest and immediate transfer to the International Criminal Court, under Section 17 of Republic Act 9851, which allows surrender of suspects to an international tribunal.

The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) gave Remulla until the final day of deliberations, which is scheduled “in the next few weeks,” to submit the required clearance.

Under Section 5 of the JBC’s Revised Rules, applicants with pending criminal or administrative cases are disqualified from being nominated for appointment to any judicial post, as well as the positions of Ombudsman, Deputy Ombudsman, Special Prosecutor, or chair or regular member of the Legal Education Board.