Supreme Court finds Martin Romualdez's bid to halt Ombudsman's probe moot

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The Supreme Court (SC) has junked the bid of former Speaker and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez to stop the Ombudsman’s preliminary investigation against him for being moot, or no longer needs to be resolved.

The High Tribunal made the ruling on Tuesday, November 4, with Romualdez already facing a P7.4 billion plunder charge alongside former House appropriations panel chairperson Zaldy Co of Ako Bicol party-list, his personal assistant Joselyn Tragua Sereño, and Felicito Cristobal Guevarra, president of Samchan Foreign Exchange Corporation.

The charge is in connection with alleged kickbacks from government infrastructure projects particularly those on flood control.

"The SC dismissed the petition for certiorari filed by Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez challenging the preliminary investigation conducted by the respondent Office of the Ombudsman, including its application for a preliminary hold departure order and freeze order against him and the alleged use of inadmissible evidence," the SC said.

"The SC also denied Romualdez's prayer for a temporary restraining order and/or a writ of preliminary injunction to stop the respondent from continuing the preliminary investigation," it added.

"The SC ruled that the petition has become moot, or no longer needs to be resolved, because a plunder charge had already been filed against Romualdez before the Sandiganbayan, where he was arraigned and pleaded not guilty,” the High Tribunal said.

The SC said there are no “exceptional circumstances” that would justify resolving the petition despite its having become moot.

Romualdez, who is detained in New Quezon City jail in Payatas, has since filed a petition for bail to secure temporary liberty amid a plunder case leveled against him.

The hearing on Romualdez’s petition for bail is still ongoing.

GMA News Online has reached out to Romualdez’s camp for comment and will publish it as soon as it becomes available. —NB, GMA News