MANILA — Former House Speaker and Leyte congressman Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has mounted a broader challenge to allegations linking him to questionable cash deliveries in the flood control controversy, submitting to the Office of the Ombudsman affidavits from 25 individuals who his legal team said could contradict key claims against him.
Romualdez filed a supplemental counter-affidavit Thursday afternoon as the Ombudsman continues its investigation into allegations of plunder, graft, bribery and money laundering involving the former House leader.
Lawyer Ade Fajardo said the additional submission included affidavits from employees and aides associated with former Ako Bicol party-list congressman Zaldy Co, whose former security personnel had alleged that suitcases containing cash were delivered to Romualdez and Co.
The 25 witnesses are being presented by Romualdez’s camp to challenge those allegations and the accounts of former members of Co’s security detail.
Among those included in the group is Orly Guteza, who previously made allegations against Romualdez during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing.
Fajardo said the individuals identified in the affidavits denied participating in the alleged cash deliveries, potentially contradicting claims by former security personnel who supposedly identified certain drivers and companions as having taken part in the transactions.
Romualdez’s lawyer also alleged that several of the 25 individuals were offered financial incentives to join the group of former bodyguards accusing the former speaker.
“Hindi lahat, pero many of them. A substantial number said that they were explicitly, exclusively offered financial reward to join the group [of 18 ex-bodyguards],” Fajardo said.
Fajardo declined to publicly identify those allegedly behind the offers, saying the details were contained in Romualdez’s supplemental counter-affidavit submitted to the Ombudsman.
Romualdez’s camp has repeatedly denied his involvement in the alleged cash deliveries and questioned the credibility of witnesses who have implicated him in the flood control controversy.
The latest filing comes as the credibility of some witnesses has emerged as a key issue in the Ombudsman’s investigation.
At least three former members of Co’s security team who earlier executed affidavits against Romualdez have since withdrawn or recanted their accusations.
Despite the recantations, the Ombudsman has continued its investigation, with the agency previously saying it still has other witnesses against Romualdez.
The filing of the 25 affidavits now puts competing witness accounts at the center of the probe as investigators assess the evidence surrounding the allegations against the former House speaker./PN
