The Office of the Ombudsman says the testimonies of former bodyguards of former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez are supported by “independent supporting evidence.” In a statement on Friday, Assistant Ombudsman Jose Dominic “Mico” Clavano IV made the remark, describing that investigators obtained corroborating materials as part of the Ombudsman’s work on Co and Romualdez’s plunder case. The comments came after Romualdez said Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla was relying on witnesses he claimed had been “publicly discredited.”
Romualdez and Co face prosecutors’ accusations involving alleged “concerted and coordinated acts” in connection with the alleged “unlawfully amassing, accumulating, and acquiring ill-gotten wealth.” The Ombudsman’s position, as reported, directly addresses the dispute over the credibility of the ex-bodyguards’ accounts by asserting that investigators gathered additional evidence beyond the witnesses’ statements.
