The House prosecution team has expressed support for Ombudsman Samuel Martires’ stance to hold off on making any decisions regarding Vice President Sara Duterte’s case until her impeachment trial concludes.
House prosecution spokesperson Atty. Antonio Audie Bucoy said Martires was correct in stating that his office’s role is to investigate, not to prosecute. “He said he would wait for the result of the impeachment trial, and I commend that approach,” Bucoy noted during the Saturday News Forum.
Martires reiterated that if the Senate impeachment court clears Duterte, the Ombudsman will no longer have grounds to pursue charges. “If the Vice President is acquitted, we have no power to file a case,” he said.
This comes after the Ombudsman received a report from the House Committee on Good Governance accusing Duterte and several others of misuse of confidential funds in the Department of Education and the Office of the Vice President. Duterte submitted her counter-affidavit on June 27.
In addition to Duterte, several DepEd and OVP officials were named in the complaint, including high-ranking officers and finance staff. Martires also mentioned that due to the complexity of the investigation, it might extend beyond his retirement on July 27, potentially leaving it to the next Ombudsman to resolve.
“We welcome his decision. That’s how due process should work,” Bucoy concluded.