The Office of the Ombudsman announced on Tuesday that it is evaluating the possibility of filing plunder charges against four former security escorts of former Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co following their retraction of previous testimonies alleging corruption.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano revealed that the anti-graft oversight agency’s investigative panel is determining whether to name the four men as co-respondents in the ongoing inquiry should they refuse to cooperate as state witnesses.
The former security personnel previously submitted detailed statements describing how they transported large sums of cash to various officials under orders from their former employer.
“They are analyzing the situation,” Clavano stated during an Ombudsman press conference.
He added that investigators are considering impleading the four individuals in the plunder case due to their alleged direct involvement in carrying billions of pesos in illicit funds to primary respondents.
Clavano noted that the Ombudsman has not officially received a copy of the recantation executed by the bodyguards. However, he observed that former House Speaker and Leyte 1st District Representative Martin Romualdez had already acquired the document and attached it as part of his counter-affidavit submission.
Furthermore, Clavano pointed out that the retraction consists only of broad, general denials without offering specific factual evidence to undermine the claims in their initial sworn affidavits.
As the anti-graft agency reviews the conflicting submissions, it plans to accord greater evidentiary weight to the comprehensive initial accounts.
The Ombudsman’s broader probe centers on alleged financial irregularities surrounding multi-billion-peso public flood control works, focusing heavily on claims regarding the illegal delivery of massive kickbacks.