THE camp of Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Monday underscored its readiness to cooperate with authorities, stressing respect for due process amid reports of a supposed plunder complaint being readied against the former Speaker.
Atty. Ade Fajardo, lawyer-spokesperson for Romualdez, emphasized that the camp will fully cooperate with the Office of the Ombudsman should formal proceedings be initiated.
“We respect the processes of the Office of the Ombudsman and will fully cooperate if and when a formal proceeding is initiated,” Fajardo said.
“We have taken note of news reports regarding the alleged preparation of a complaint involving Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez,” Fajardo said
“To be clear, this refers only to a reported preparation of a complaint—there is no filed case, no finding of probable cause, and no determination of liability at this time,” Fajardo said.
Fajardo added that they trust the Ombudsman to adhere to established legal standards in evaluating cases.
“We trust that the Ombudsman will fully adhere to the circular that he instituted and signed as then Secretary of the Department of Justice, that DOJ prosecutors should only pursue cases with ‘reasonable certainty of conviction’,” he said.
The camp also maintained that there is, at present, no evidence linking Romualdez to the allegations tied to flood control projects.
“We want to emphasize that, to-date, there is no evidence linking Rep. Romualdez to any ghost and substandard projects pertaining to the flood control issue,” Fajardo said.
“We remain confident that these matters will be resolved based on evidence and due process—not politics or speculation,” Fajardo said.
