No credible witness vs. Romualdez, lawyer insists

The camp of former Speaker and Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez on Thursday maintained that there is no credible witness linking him to the flood control mess.

Atty. Ade Fajardo, legal counsel for Romualdez, said much of the prior 32 accusers of the former House leader have since recanted their allegations, including Orly Guteza who testified before the Senate blue ribbon panel last year that he supposedly delivered wads of cash in suitcases to Romualdez.

“Wala po kaming nakikitang dahilan kaya ang aming panalangin, ang aming hiling sa tanggapan ng Ombudsman ay i-dismiss na po ito, ibasura na itong reklamo laban kay former Speaker Romualdez,” Fajardo said.

(We don’t see any reason for Congressman Romualdez to be charged and that is why we call on the Ombudsman to dismiss the complaints.)

“Wala pong credible witness, kasi nga marami ng naglabasan na witnesses na sinasabing walang nangyaring ganyang delivery ng maleta eh. Eto po ay galing na sa iisang grupo. Pareho silang mga drivers, security, administrative aide ni former Congressman Zaldy Co,” Fajardo added, referring to the former House appropriations panel chairperson who is facing malversation and two counts of graft over an alleged substandard P289 million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro.

(There is no credible witness, and those who have said such before have since taken back their statements, if not disputed by the drivers, security, administrative aide of former Congressman Zaldy Co.)

Fajardo was referring to the 25 individuals whose affidavits were included in the supplemental counter affidavit filed by Romualdez before the Ombudsman disputing the plunder, graft, bribery and money laundering complaints against him.

The 25 said they never saw such delivery of cash in suitcases as kickback for Romualdez and Co.

Of the 25, 13 also alleged that Atty. Levi Baligod offered them money in exchange of joining the 18 ex-bodyguards who made the initial allegations against Romualdez.

Further, Fajardo said that even Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, whom the Ombudsman is trying to enlist as a witness against Romualdez, did not mention Romualdez being involved in the flood control mess.

“Former Secretary Bonoan never spoke of such allegation,” Fajardo said.

Likewise, Fajardo raised doubts as to whether the Ombudsman indeed has 28 witnesses against Romualdez.

“The statement of them having 28 witnesses against us was made last week, but we haven’t heard from these 28,” Fajardo said.

Earlier, the Office of the Ombudsman said recantations are nothing new in high-profile cases and that it still have other witnesses against Romualdez.

“Sa kabila nito, ipinapaalam ng Office of the Ombudsman na mayroon itong 28 testigo na nakahandang magbigay ng direkta at materyal na kaalaman sa mga transaksyong sinisiyasat sa kaso ni dating Speaker Martin Romualdez. Nasa ilalim na sila ng legal process sa ngayon,” the Ombudsman added.

(Despite this, the Office of the Ombudsman announces that it has 28 witnesses ready to provide direct and material knowledge regarding the transactions under investigation in the case of former Speaker Martin Romualdez. They are currently undergoing legal processes.) — Llanesca T. Panti/RSJ, GMA News