The Office of the Ombudsman is set to file a non-bailable plunder case against Senator Rodante Marcoleta before the Sandiganbayan this week, marking a significant escalation in the probe over ₱75 million in alleged campaign contributions.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla announced on Monday that the resolution against the lawmaker is nearly finalized for official filing.
“Senator Marcoleta, it’s for resolution, we’re about to file it already,” he told reporters.
Government prosecutors claim that the ₱75 million received by Marcoleta surpassed the ₱50-million threshold required to charge an individual with plunder under Republic Act No. 7080, also known as the Anti-Plunder Law.
Marcoleta has strongly refuted the accusations, submitting a counter-affidavit on June 5 asserting that the complaint fails to substantiate the essential elements of the crime.
The lawmaker maintained that the funds given by former Anakalusugan Party-list Representative Mike Defensor, alongside businessmen Joseph Espiritu and Aristotle Viray, were strictly private donations rather than public funds.