Romualdez's camp denies hand in recantation of ex-bodyguards in flood control mess

The camp of former Speaker and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez denied having a hand in the recantation of ex-bodyguards of former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co.

Atty. Ade Fajardo, one of the counsels of Romualdez, made the comments in response to the previous allegation of Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla that the former House speaker is behind the recantation of three ex-bodyguards of Co who previously said they delivered cash in suitcases to Romualdez as kickbacks for flood control projects.

“We vehemently deny that. They are saying we manufactured evidence by somehow coercing them [to recant]. Hindi po nangyari ‘yung ganun,” Fajardo said in a press conference.

(That did not happen.)

“What we did is just we present the evidence that the Ombudsman required,” Fajardo added.

Fajardo was referring to the affidavit of recantation that the three ex-bodyguards that Romualdez included in his counter-affidavit that he submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman last August 7.

Ombudsman Remulla earlier said that it was puzzling why these affidavits were first submitted to the Ombudsman by the ex-bodyguards rather than the Ombudsman prosecutors whom they talked to first and swore under oath.

Fajardo maintained that they do not know why the ex-bodyguards did not furnish their recantation to the Ombudsman.

Likewise, Fajardo said the Ombudsman granted their request for additional time to file a supplemental counter affidavit, which deadline is today.

As such, Romualdez’s camp is expected to file the supplemental counter-affidavit containing the accounts of 25 individuals, which they said would dispute the allegations of the ex-bodyguards of Co.

The supplemental counter-affidavit, Fajardo said, now includes the recantation of Orly Guteza, whose recantation was reported exclusively by GMA News last night, Wednesday.

“Everything went under due process. We deny all these insinuations [of forcing their recantation],” Fajardo added. —VAL, GMA News