Ombudsman given 10 days to produce resolution on Arroyo plunder case

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has 10 days to produce its first resolution on the investigation conducted on former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s plunder case.

The Arroyo camp on Wednesday said that the Sandiganbayan First Division released an order for the Office of the Ombudsman to produce within 10 days a resolution on the preliminary investigation on the Pampanga lawmaker and nine co-accused’s alleged misuse of P366 million worth of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office intelligence funds.

In a statement sent to the media by Elena Bautista-Horn, Arroyo’s spokesperson, she said a nine-page resolution from the anti-graft court granted the legislator’s motion asking for the investigators’ resolution.

Arroyo has earlier asked the Office of the Ombudsman to release the said resolution of the first panel of investigators led by Cornelio Somido. Other investigators in the panel were Directors Nellie Boguen-Golez and Joaquin Salazar, and lawyers Roque Dator and Mary Susan Guillermo.

The resolution, signed by Sandiganbayan First Division Chairperson Associate Justice Efren de la Cruz, and Associate Justices Rafael Lagos and Rodolfo Ponferrada, said it found Arroyo’s motion meritorious in that although the preliminary investigation was not part of the record on the case but the release of such information can be ordered as evidence for the requesting party.

The anti-graft court stated that Arroyo’s motion cannot be denied simply because the resolution was not approved by the Ombudsman.