Former House Speaker Rep. Martin Romualdez has asked that the Office of the Ombudsman be prohibited from conducting a preliminary investigation into his alleged involvement in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal.

Romualdez, who represents Leyte’s First District, said that both Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla and Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano had prejudged the case with their ongoing probe.

“On several occasions, the Honorable Ombudsman has made public statements concerning Representative Romualdez that evince a preconceived position on issues that are the subject of potential or ongoing inquiry,” a four-page letter from Villaraza and Angangco, Romualdez’s lawyers, said.

It further noted that their client was being accused of plunder despite no preliminary investigation to obtain evidence having been completed or initiated.

The camp of the former House speaker cited instances such as Clavano’s labeling of their client as a “master plunderer” and Remulla’s claim that it was merely waiting for the cases of Romualdez to start rolling.

Canceled Singapore trip cited

Another incident included in the letter was the Ombudsman’s admission that he “did not act favorably” toward Romualdez’s request to embark on a medical trip to Singapore for a checkup following his angioplasty, which was supposed to take place from 20 April to 4 May.

With the examples of a prejudgment, the lawyers urged the Ombudsman to refrain from participating in any investigation that may result from a complaint filed against the congressman.

“This request is made not as a challenge to integrity, but in recognition of the high standards to which the Office of the Ombudsman is rightly held, to shield its proceedings from unnecessary questions regarding objectivity or fairness, and to safeguard our client’s constitutional right to due process,” they said.

The DAILY TRIBUNE reached out to the Assistant Ombudsman for comment on the matter, but he had yet to respond.

In an earlier development, Romualdez took to social media to voice concerns about his name being tossed around as a “fall guy” in the flood control issue.