Ombudsman flags Leviste's 2-month overseas trip, Legarda's extended leave as 'suspicious'

The Office of the Ombudsman has flagged the two-month travel authority secured by Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste and the extended medical leave of his mother, Senator Loren Legarda, as "suspicious" amid the agency's ongoing investigation into alleged undelivered solar power resources.

“We were able to obtain a travel authority wherein he asked for two months of leave no from July 26 to September 24. He listed several countries that he would want to or he intended to visit. On the other hand, Senator Loren Legarda is on her I believe third extension of her travel authority for medical reasons, which we have begun to find quite suspicious already,” Assistant Ombudsman and spokesperson Mico Clavano said in a press conference Tuesday.

“We need to flag this because there is an ongoing case [investigation] here in the Office of the Ombudsman,” Clavano added.

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said last July 31 that the Office of the Ombudsman is investigating Legarda and Leviste, in connection with P10-billion plunder and graft complaints due to the alleged failure of his renewable energy firm to provide solar power as provided under its congressional franchise.

Legarda thereafter left for France while Leviste flew to Hong Kong on separate flights on August 2, according to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

Ahead of the Ombudsman’s announcement of the probe on Legarda and Leviste, the Energy department also filed a complaint against Leviste and five officials of the Solar Para sa Bayan Corporation (SPBC) before the Justice department for alleged violations of the Public Service Act.

According to the complaint, the firm failed to construct and provide electric power to customers and end users in remote, unviable, unserved, or underserved areas as provided under the company's 2019 franchise, which Congress granted under Republic Act 11357.

Legarda has earlier denied the allegations of the Ombudsman, saying she has always upheld her integrity.

“This baseless allegation is a smear on my person that is totally undeserved. We have not received any communication from the Office of the Ombudsman regarding the reported preliminary investigation but I can categorically state that the reported accusations are utterly false and baseless,” Legarda said in a statement then.

“No public funds were involved. We are prepared to bring out the truth," she added.

GMA News Online has reached out to Legarda and Leviste and will publish their replies as soon as these are available. —KG, GMA News