Co’s camp ‘not surprised’ on criminal raps
Atty. Ruy Rondain, representing Co, stated they were not surprised by the development, claiming the Office of the Ombudsman had ‘pre-judged’ the case ‘on Day 1.’
CO
Daily TribuneAtty. Ruy Rondain, representing Co, stated they were not surprised by the development, claiming the Office of the Ombudsman had ‘pre-judged’ the case ‘on Day 1.’
CO
The camp of former Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Zaldy Co said Wednesday they anticipated the filing of criminal charges against the former lawmaker in connection with an alleged substandard road dike project.
This comes after the Sandiganbayan has raffled off charges of malversation and two counts of graft against Co, officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 4B, and Sunwest Construction.
The charges stemmed from an alleged P289-million road dike project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro. Sunwest Construction is a firm reportedly owned by Co’s family members.
Co previously served as the House appropriations committee chairperson from 2022 to 2024 before resigning due to health reasons.
Atty. Ruy Rondain, representing Co, stated they were not surprised by the development, claiming the Office of the Ombudsman had “pre-judged” the case “on Day 1.”
The charges were filed by the Ombudsman Tuesday, without Co’s defense after the former lawmaker failed to file a counter affidavit.
Rondain maintained that Co declined to file the counter affidavit because he believed the Ombudsman had already prejudged the case.
Meantime, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla denied the allegation of prejudgment, asserting that the Ombudsman’s role is to prosecute, not judge.
In other developments, the National Unity Party (NUP), one of the dominant groups in the House of Representatives, allied with the administration, has accused Co of “lying” regarding his corruption claims against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former Speaker Martin Romualdez, involving billions of alleged insertions in the 2025 budget.
The party released the statement on Wednesday to dispute Co’s damning accusations, following the recent developments in the Senate involving the flood control anomalies.
This includes Senator Ping Lacson’s statement on Tuesday that Marcos’ name may have been used by former undersecretaries Trygve Olaivar and Adrian Bersamin to gain leverage in the alleged kickback scheme.
“These grave allegations, if true, would constitute criminal conduct. Yet they rest entirely on Mr. Co’s statements not made under oath, uncorroborated and made while he remains outside the country and beyond the reach of lawful inquiry,” the NUP stated. “Put simply, we believe Mr. Co is lying.”
The NUP, on the other hand, believes that Co’s allegations against Marcos are merely designed to deflect liability for his wrongdoing and put the blame on the higher-ups amid the growing pressure for Co to account for his actions.