Press Release
November 27, 2008

ROXAS: DEFECTIVE CASE VS PEREZ PART OF OMBUDSMAN WHITEWASH

Senator Mar Roxas said Thursday among the reasons why the Liberal Party wants Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez impeached is that she deliberately filed a defective graft case against her erstwhile boss and law officer partner, former Justice Secretary Hernando Perez, that eventually led to the dismissal by the court of the graft case against him.

"Inupuan yung kaso ni Nani Perez nang ilang taon, tapos mali-mali yung kanilang finile, kaya naman dinismiss ng Sandiganbayan. Talagang kasama ito sa coverup, sa whitewash ng kasong ito. (She sat on the complaint against Nani Perez for years, then filed a defective case which the Sandiganbayan expectedly dismissed. This is part of the cover-up of this case)," he said in an interview over DZRH.

He was referring to the decision of the Sandiganbayan First Division which ruled that the Ombudsman illegally "chopped" up the complaint filed by former Manila Rep. Mark Jimenez into four separate cases, thus weakening the charges.

He said the Ombudsman case against Perez would have been more solid if the four cases were consolidated and all the evidence were put together to nail down the one-time Malacañang ally.

"Sinadya ng Ombdusman na gawing chop-chop ang kaso laban kay Perez para maging mahina ito. Alam naman ng Ombudsman na siguradong ibabasura ng korte ang anumang kaso na pare-pareho lang naman ang inirereklamo, na pare-pareho lang naman ang batas na nilabag. (She deliberately chopped up the complaint against Perez to make it weak. She knew very well that the courts would trash different cases that pertain to similar violations of laws)," the Ilonggo senator said.

Roxas said the cover-up of Perez's case is no different with the whitewashing that Gutierrez did on the graft charges filed by the later journalist Marlene Esperat against ex-DA Undersecretary Jocelyn "Joc-Joc" Bolante in relation to a P432-million agriculture fund mess.

Gutierrez junked the graft charges against Bolante despite evidence submitted by Esperat clearly showing that the former DA official violated disbursement and graft laws.

"Paulit-ulit nang ipinakita ni Gutierrez ang pagkiling niya sa poder ng Malakanyang. Kung hindi niya inuupuan ang mga kaso laban sa mga kakampi ng Palasyo, ibinabasura niya ang mga ito o hindi kaya ay nagsasampa siya ng mga depektibong reklamo na alam niyang hindi naman papasa sa korte. (She has repeatedly shown her bias for Malacañang. If she does not sit on cases against Palace allies, she junks them or she files defective cases)," he said.

Roxas on Wednesday said the Liberal Party is now consulting with its lawyers about the filing of an impeachment case against Gutierrez, to be filed with the House of Representatives.

"Alam naming dadaan ito sa butas ng karayom, nakita naman natin ang ginawa ng mga kaalyado ng Pangulo sa impeachment complaint laban sa kanya, pero kahit pa mahirap, ay dapat gawin natin kung ano ang tama. Kung mali ang ginagawa, panindigan natin at ituwid natin. (We know that this would pass through the eye of a needle because we have seen what happened to the impeachment case against President Arroyo.. But even if it is difficult, we will do what is right. If a government leader is doing something wrong, we should do something to correct that," he added.

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