Martires files complaint vs Duterte’s ex-lawyer over corruption claims
MANILA, Philippines — Ombudsman Samuel Martires has filed a complaint against the former legal counsel of President Rodrigo Duterte over her unverified claims that corruption is rampant at the Office of the Ombudsman.
Martires filed a criminal complaint against private defense lawyer Edna Batacan at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office Wednesday.
.@OmbudsmanPh Martires charged Batacan w/ corruption of public officials under the Revised Penal Code and violation of RA 6770 or the Office of the Ombudsman Act. @PhilippineStar (photo courtesy of Judge Ace Alagar) pic.twitter.com/zbfkH0K5TV
— Elizabeth T. Marcelo (@marcelo_beth) November 21, 2018
The country’s top graft-buster sued Batacan with violations of Article 212 (corruption of public officials) under the Revised Penal Code and Section 36 of the Ombudsman Act of 1989.
In the complaint, Martires noted that Batacan—erstwhile ombudsman aspirant—repeatedly mentioned that the Office of the Ombudsman is a “graft-ridded office” during her interview with the Judicial and Bar Council.
She claimed that investigators in the agency could be bribed to sit on cases.
In the same interview, Batacan admitted that she had been involved in a P50,000 payoff “just to get the status of the case.”
Batacan used to be a public prosecutor under the ombudsman before she switched to private practice.
She represented Duterte in a graft case in 2010.
Former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales in an interview with Rappler earlier said she had asked one of the directors in the ombudsman about the supposed corrupt practices in the office and the official admitted that corruption indeed was present when Batacan was still a prosecutor. — Gaea Katreena Cabico with reports from The STAR/Elizabeth Marcelo
- Latest
- Trending
