QUEZON CITY — A witness testified before the Sandiganbayan on Tuesday, October 13, that former bodyguards linked to cash delivery allegations were offered millions of pesos to retract their statements.
Testifying during the bail hearing of former House Speaker and incumbent Leyte 1st District Representative Martin Romualdez, prosecution witness Christopher Esquivel revealed that he and his former colleagues were each offered ₱5 million to recant their testimonies regarding alleged deliveries of cash-filled suitcases.
Esquivel, one of the former bodyguards collectively known as the “Maleta Boys,” stated that an extra ₱5 million was promised to anyone capable of recruiting other former bodyguards to withdraw their previous statements. The group had previously testified about transporting suitcases supposedly filled with cash to properties linked to Romualdez.
According to Esquivel, a former co-worker relayed the financial proposals during a July meeting at a restaurant on P. Tuazon in Cubao, Quezon City, though he did not name the individual. In addition to the monetary incentives, he claimed they were promised help in getting pending libel cases dismissed.
Romualdez is currently detained at the New Quezon City Jail infirmary in Payatas as he seeks bail in connection with a plunder case involving an alleged ₱7.4-billion kickback scheme tied to government and flood control projects.
In his petition for bail, the former speaker asserted that the evidence pointing to his guilt is “not strong.”
The Sandiganbayan 3rd Division ordered his transfer to the city jail on September 14 after a UP-PGH evaluation declared him clinically stable, following his arrest on September 7 at Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City.