By el Amigo
MANILA — The Office of the Ombudsman has filed a plunder complaint before the Sandiganbayan against former House Speaker and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, and several other individuals over alleged accumulation of ill-gotten wealth estimated at P56 billion.
The case, filed Monday, accuses Romualdez, Co and their alleged co-conspirators of engaging in coordinated acts that supposedly allowed them to amass, accumulate and acquire unlawfully obtained wealth between 2022 and 2025.
According to the Ombudsman investigation, some of the alleged proceeds were purportedly transported and delivered through suitcases carried by bodyguards.
The anti-graft agency’s findings form the basis of the plunder case now before the Sandiganbayan, which will determine whether the allegations warrant further proceedings.
Romualdez has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and has said he is prepared to face the accusations and prove that he committed no illegal acts.
His camp had yet to issue a response to the latest filing as of the report’s publication.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had earlier said that cases against his cousin Romualdez would proceed as the Ombudsman pursued its investigation.
During his State of the Nation Address in July, Marcos said the government had to “do what is right” in dealing with the allegations.
Romualdez, for his part, said he respected the President’s position while maintaining his denial of the accusations.
The filing marks a significant development in the investigation involving alleged irregularities and the purported movement of large amounts of money.
The case will now undergo judicial proceedings before the Sandiganbayan, where the allegations and evidence presented by the prosecution will be subjected to legal scrutiny.
