Former Speaker Martin Romualdez has been barred from leaving the Philippines after the Sandiganbayan approved a precautionary hold departure order (PHDO) requested by the Office of the Ombudsman.
- The Sandiganbayan approved the PHDO on April 22 following a summary hearing.
- The Ombudsman alleges Romualdez masterminded a P56 billion kickback scheme involving ghost flood control projects.
- Complaints include plunder, graft, money laundering, and direct and indirect bribery.
The Sandiganbayan’s 7th Division approved the request on Wednesday, April 22. A PHDO is a legal mechanism that allows prosecutors to seek a hold departure order even while an investigation remains at the complaint level.
The order follows a travel clearance granted to Romualdez on April 20 for angioplasty surgery, which scheduled his travel from April 20 to May 4. However, the Ombudsman requested the PHDO on April 21. Romualdez’s staff confirmed Wednesday morning that he remains in the country.
Corruption Allegations and the PHDO
The Office of the Ombudsman alleges that Romualdez was the “purported mastermind” behind a kickback scheme tied to ghost flood control projects, which reportedly reached P56 billion.
Romualdez currently faces complaints for plunder, graft, money laundering, and direct and indirect bribery. These legal actions are currently at the preliminary investigation level, and he has not yet been indicted or charged in court.
Separate investigations have linked Romualdez to three multimillion-peso properties, including a P445-million mansion in Sotogrande, Spain. Reports indicate that Malaysian shareholders are also allegedly connected to the Spanish property.
In a video statement released Tuesday, Romualdez denied masterminding the alleged kickback scheme. He asserted that the national budget process is conducted by the entire House, the Senate, and the executive branch, rather than the House speaker alone.
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