FORMER SENATOR Ramon “Bong” B. Revilla, Jr. has asked the Department of Justice (DoJ) to dismiss plunder charges filed against him, citing inconsistencies and gaps in witness statements submitted in the case.
Mr. Revilla’s spokesperson, Francesca Lourdes M. Señga, told reporters on Thursday that the former senator submitted his counter-affidavit in response to the criminal complaint, which includes allegations of plunder, violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, direct bribery, receiving gifts by public officers, and corruption of public officials.
The complaint, filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), accuses Mr. Revilla—currently detained—of alleged involvement in the food control kickback scheme.
He was accompanied by Bureau of Jail Management and Penology security officers while attending the preliminary hearing on his plunder charges. “I don’t know how those accusing me are able to sleep at night,” he told reporters in Filipino.
Ms. Señga noted that the complaint before the DoJ largely mirrors charges Mr. Revilla faces before the Sandiganbayan, previously filed by the Ombudsman, with the addition of the plunder charge.
“Whatever is in the current filing is the same as before, except that the crime listed now is plunder,” she told reporters in Filipino.
She added that Mr. Revilla is a co-respondent alongside former Public Works officials Roberto R. Bernardo and Gerard P. Opulencia, and former Bulacan district engineer Henry C. Alcantara, and expressed surprise that the three manifested they would no longer file counter-affidavits as they have been admitted into the Witness Protection Program.
Ms. Señga said Mr. Bernardo’s account of the flood control case keeps changing, including the dates, amounts, and number of alleged payments to Mr. Revilla, and lacks any supporting evidence
According to her, the plunder complaint against Mr. Revilla has not yet been submitted for resolution, and he was given until Feb. 20 to review additional evidence from the NBI, including alleged flood control project contracts. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking