Kapunan vows plunder raps vs. ‘private citizen’ Andres Bautista

The lawyer of the estranged wife of former Elections chairman Andres Bautista on Tuesday vowed to file plunder charges against him and other individuals responsible for the acts alleged in the impeachment complaint against the former poll chief.

Lawyer Lorna Kapunan, legal counsel for Patricia Bautista, made the pronouncement following a House Committee on Justice meeting where the impeachment case against the poll chief was declared "moot and academic."

"Plunder charges will be filed against the persons responsible. We are just awaiting for the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) to complete its report," Kapunan told reporters at a press conference.

Patricia had accused his husband of possessing unexplained wealth amounting to nearly P1 billion.

Her allegations became a basis of the impeachment complaint filed by former Negros Oriental Representative Jacinto Paras and lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, who accused Bautista of betrayal of public trust for failing to properly disclose his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.

Interviewed over GMA News TV's Balita Pilipinas, Bautista said he is ready to face whatever charges would be filed against him.

"Handa naman tayong harapin [ang mga yun] ... walang factual and legal basis," Bautista said.

He maintained that the documents to be used against him have been "doctored," and added that all these things should be tackled before the proper courts and not in the media.

'Fight not over'

While the House of Representatives had voted to impeach Bautista, the House panel on Tuesday declared the impeachment case "moot and academic" after President Rodrigo Duterte accepted the poll chief's resignation effective immediately.

Kapunan, however, said the fight is not over for Patricia in bringing out the plunder of "private citizen" Bautista and all those who are responsible for his alleged anomalous acts.

"Now that Andy Bautista can no longer hide because of his claimed immunity, now that he can no longer boast that he knows congressmen, senators and justices because he is private citizen Bautista, we are inspired," she said.

"We are inspired by the direction opened to us by the House Committee on Justice and the Congress which has impeached Chairman Bautista," she added.

The Senate should also continue its investigation on the matter, Kapunan said, to see violations of the Bank Secrecy Law and the investigation on the Anti-Money Laundering Council, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the Commission on Audit.

"We should not let the Filipino people down. We deserve leaders who are duly elected. We deserve the crooks who have stolen to go to jail," she said.

Kabayan party-list Representative Harry Roque, meanwhile, said the case of Bautista should be a lesson to those who aim to enter the government.

"You will be accountable, if not immediately, in some point in time," he said.

"This will go down in history as proof that people, people power, people empowerment cannot be ignored and that all high ranking officials beware, because institutions are there to ensure accountability," he added. — RSJ, GMA News