Prosecutors seek plunder, launder raps vs Romualdez, Co

MANILA, Philippines — Investigators are moving to put former House speaker Martin Romualdez, ex-lawmaker Zaldy Co and several others on trial for plunder, urging the Office of the Ombudsman to formally charge them over an alleged P56-billion corruption scheme and block them from siphoning off billions in suspected illicit assets.

A special ombudsman panel of investigators filed on Monday a 104-page supplemental complaint against Romualdez, Co and several co-accused, pursuing charges of plunder, graft, bribery and money laundering.

The supplemental complaint-affidavit builds upon an initial complaint filed last April and cites newly obtained documentary and testimonial evidence – including alleged cash deliveries, witness accounts and corporate transactions – to strengthen the case against the respondents.

At the center of the complaint is the allegation that Romualdez, Co and their co-conspirators unlawfully amassed approximately P56 billion in ill-gotten wealth from 2022 to 2025.

The panel stated that this was achieved through a series of “interrelated transactions involving the diversion and misuse of public funds and the receipt of undue pecuniary benefits in connection with government dealings.”

The investigators are asking the ombudsman to file charges against Romualdez, Co, Romualdez’s aide Jocelyn Sereño and several John and Jane Does for plunder, punishable under Republic Act 7080.

The panel also pushed for money laundering charges under Section 4 of RA 9160 against Romualdez and lawyer Jose Raulito Paras – alleging that the pair transacted, concealed or disguised the true nature, source and movement of the illicit proceeds.

According to the case docket, the full list of respondents facing various charges also includes Hermogene Real, a corporate secretary and director of Romualdez-owned firms.

It also includes law firm D.S. Tantuico & Associates and Samchan Foreign Exchange Corp., through its board of directors: Luisito Chan, Felicito Guevarra, Yolanda Crudo, Gil Panganiban Jr. and Diosa Mira Chan.

Sereño and the directors of Samchan Foreign Exchange, alongside D.S. Tantuico & Associates and Real, are specifically facing a request for indictment for aiding and abetting the commission of money laundering.

Meanwhile, Romualdez faces additional prayers for indictment for direct bribery under Article 210 and indirect bribery under Article 211 of the Revised Penal Code, as well as violations of Sections 3(a) and 3(b) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019).

Sereño is also tagged as an accomplice to the bribery charges alongside unidentified John and Jane Does.

The camp of the former speaker said the lawmaker is ready to face any complaint that may be filed against him.

Spokesperson Elaine Atienza said Romualdez is confident that the evidence will support his position.

Sunwest faces P22.7 billion tax raps

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has filed criminal complaints before the Department of Justice against Sunwest Inc. and its top officers for tax evasion over an alleged P22.71-billion income tax liability.

The BIR said the complaints were lodged on July 24 against Sunwest, co-founded by Co, alongside company president Aderma Angelie Descarga Alcazar and treasurer Cesar Zacarias Buenaventura.

These complaints stemmed from the agency findings that Sunwest had willfully under-declared income, padded purchases and expenses and improperly claimed creditable withholding taxes in its income tax returns from 2019 to 2024.

According to the reconciliation of the firm’s records with third-party information, the BIR said it uncovered undeclared income amounting to P6.29 billion for taxable years 2019 to 2024.

The agency disallowed P36.63 billion in purchases and P3.65 billion in expenses after the company failed to provide adequate documentary support for the amounts claimed. It also likewise disallowed P291.12 million in unsupported creditable withholding tax claims.

Based on these findings, the BIR assessed Sunwest Inc. with a total income tax deficiency of P22.71 billion, inclusive of surcharge, interest and compromise penalties, for taxable years 2019 to 2024.

No House probe

The House of Representatives will no longer pursue an investigation into the multibillion-peso flood control scandal, Bicol SARO Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said, citing a “conflict of interest” as several members are linked to the scam.

The House committee on infrastructure had launched a probe into the controversy in August but halted the probe to give way to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, a special body created by President Marcos to investigate the anomaly.

Ridon said the Office of the Ombudsman has already made significant progress in investigating the anomalies, pointing out that there have been cases filed in court and some individuals detained. –  Aubrey Rose Inosante, Daphne Galvez