LAWYER Levi Baligod, accompanied by former bodyguards of businessman Zaldy Co, holds a press conference at the office of Senator Robinhood Padilla in the Senate.
PHOTOGRAPH by Aram Lascano for DAILY TRIBUNE
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano maintained Thursday that the recantations and conflicting statements of alleged aides of former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co could provide additional evidence rather than weaken the case against former Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Clavano stressed that a recantation does not automatically erase a previous statement, saying investigators would instead compare the conflicting accounts and determine which is supported by evidence.
“A recantation is not an eraser. In fact, this is additional evidence. If there are two statements, both will be compared and observed regarding which of the two are accurate,” Clavano said in a statement to reporters.
He said conflicting accounts establish that at least one version is false or misleading, requiring investigators to determine what prompted the change.
Clavano said investigators must examine the circumstances surrounding the recantations and fill gaps in the available information.
“Which one of these statements do the people stand by? Why did they suddenly hide after recanting? Why is there so much info that the recantations were paid for? These are the questions that must be asked,” he said.
The Ombudsman official also suggested that the recantations could be intended to sow confusion among the public following the investigation into Romualdez.
Clavano made the remarks in response to statements from lawyer Ade Fajardo, a member of Romualdez’s legal team, who argued that prosecutors have no credible witness who could prove that the former Speaker received kickbacks or deliveries of cash-filled suitcases.
Fajardo said that while the Ombudsman has witnesses allegedly linked to Co who could attest to the supposed deliveries, the defense also has witnesses who could contradict those claims.
“There is no credible witness, because there have been many cross witnesses that have come out that say that there was no deliveries of cash-filled suitcases. This came from one group,” Fajardo said.
He added that neither former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan nor contractors and other public works officials had identified Romualdez as a recipient of alleged infrastructure kickbacks.
Fajardo also questioned the identities of 28 witnesses whom the Ombudsman previously said had direct knowledge of the alleged scheme.
Maintaining that the case against Romualdez is weak, Fajardo urged the Ombudsman to dismiss the complaints.
“We don’t see a reason that’s why our prayer, our request from the Ombudsman is to dismiss this case, trash the complaints against former speaker Romualdez,” he said.
Since launching its investigation into the multibillion-peso flood control scandal, the Ombudsman has publicly identified Romualdez as an alleged mastermind of the scheme.
Romualdez has repeatedly denied the allegations.
