MANILA — The Office of the Ombudsman will investigate whether witnesses who withdrew their accusations against former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez were offered money or other incentives to recant, stressing that their reversals do not automatically erase their original statements in the alleged flood control corruption controversy.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said investigators will examine the circumstances surrounding the recantations and weigh both the witnesses’ original allegations and subsequent withdrawals in determining which accounts are credible.
He stressed that a recantation does not, by itself, establish that the original testimony was false.
The Ombudsman’s position came after Romualdez’s lawyer, Ade Fajardo, argued that the case against the Leyte lawmaker lacks a credible witness and sufficient basis.
Fajardo claimed that 32 individuals who previously provided information against Romualdez, including Orly Guteza, had since withdrawn their allegations.
Guteza was reportedly the first witness to raise accusations against the former House leader.
Clavano said the Ombudsman would not simply disregard the witnesses’ earlier statements because they subsequently changed their accounts.
Instead, investigators will determine which version is truthful and examine the reasons behind the reversals.
Clavano also raised questions over reports that some witnesses allegedly disappeared from public view after withdrawing their accusations.
Investigators, he said, would have to determine why the witnesses changed their statements and whether money, incentives or other considerations influenced their decisions.
Fajardo, meanwhile, maintained that the individuals who withdrew their allegations were former drivers, security personnel and aides of former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co.
The conflicting witness accounts are among the issues being examined by the Ombudsman in its continuing investigation into alleged irregularities involving controversial flood control projects.
Romualdez has denied the accusations against him.
His legal team has submitted Guteza’s recantation as part of a supplemental counter-affidavit before the Ombudsman./PN
