Malacañang on Thursday called for charges against the “masterminds” behind the recent witness recantations in the flood-control corruption probe involving former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
In a media briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said authorities should identify who was pulling the strings behind the witnesses’ reversals, with all of them shifting from statements implicating Romualdez to positions favoring him.
“Kung sino iyong mastermind sa pagpapagawa ng ganitong klaseng mga scenario, sampahan ng kaso. Pero ito po ay nasa kamay na po ng Ombudsman, DOJ at mga ibang investigating bodies natin,” she said.
One of the recanters is retired Marine Orly Guteza, who testified before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee in September that he personally helped transport suitcases of cash while serving as a security aide to Zaldy Co. His recantation came after four of the 18 former Marines who also served as security personnel had withdrawn their statements.
In a sworn affidavit dated Aug. 13, Guteza withdrew his earlier claim that he helped deliver suitcases containing cash to former House Speaker Romualdez. He instead accused Sen. Rodante Marcoleta and former Rep. Mike Defensor of influencing his earlier Senate testimony.
Ombudsman Boying Remulla earlier said the Romualdez camp was pulling the strings behind the recantations, describing them as a desperate move as the flood-control investigation draws closer to the former Speaker. Atty. Levito D. Baligod, counsel for the former Marines, said his clients were offered up to ₱10 million each to recant and were also subjected to threats against their security.
The Ombudsman has downplayed the potential impact of the recantations on its investigation into Romualdez, describing such reversals in high-profile cases as a “classic pressure tactic.” It stressed that the probe does not depend on one or a handful of witnesses, saying 28 witnesses are prepared to provide direct and material information on the transactions under investigation.
