THE OFFICE of the Ombudsman finally confirmed that the probe on President Duterte for plunder had already been closed and terminated, two days after Solicitor General Jose Calida made the revelation.
“The Office of the Ombudsman confirms that the fact-finding or field investigation on the complaints filed against the President was closed and terminated on 29 November 2017 after the Anti-Money Laundering Council declined to provide a report or confirmation on the requested vital data,” the office said in a press release on Thursday.
“By rule, ‘[a] closed and terminated field investigation is without prejudice to the refiling of a complaint with new or additional evidence,’” it added.
It said Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales only knew about the termination last January 29 when overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Carandang was suspended over the release of Duterte’s bank records.
Calida, in a press conference on Tuesday, slammed Morales for failing to publicly disclose the termination of the investigation involving the President.
Last February 12, Carandang formally informed Calida in a letter that the recommendation to terminate the investigation was approved by Deputy Ombudsman Cyril E. Ramos as early as November 29, 2017.