Baligod urges DOJ to dismiss cyberlibel cases vs ex-soldiers

Lawyer Levito Baligod on Saturday urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to dismiss all cyberlibel cases filed against him and the 18 former soldiers, arguing that the allegations at the center of the complaints are already under investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman.

Baligod said the Ombudsman has already interviewed several of the former soldiers regarding their claims that they were instructed by former congressman Elizaldy Co to deliver suitcases of cash to various personalities, including government officials.

He noted that the cyberlibel complaints filed by several lawmakers before the DOJ and its prosecution offices are based on the assertion that the former soldiers' allegations were false.

According to Baligod, allowing both the DOJ and the Ombudsman to simultaneously investigate the same issues creates "the danger of conflicting decisions."

"So the Department of Justice should recuse or inhibit itself to allow the Ombudsman to conduct the preliminary investigation," he said.

Baligod added that after the former soldiers submitted their joint sworn affidavit to the Ombudsman in February, the anti-graft body had already taken cognizance of the complaint.

"Because the Ombudsman used the affidavit of several soldiers and when the Ombudsman used that, it means there is truth from it," Baligod claimed.

The lawyer maintained that the Ombudsman's ongoing investigation is the proper venue to determine the veracity of the allegations raised by the former military personnel.