Kawit Island deal: Ombud stands by decision to clear Tomas, others
Former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña attends the House committee hearing on Pogos and EJKs. |
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman stood by with its decision to clear several previous and current Cebu City Hall officials, including former Mayor Tomas Osmeña, over the development of Kawit Island at the South Road Properties (SRP).
This after they junked the motion for reconsideration that aimed to reverse its decision.
The state’s anti-graft investigating body found no ‘cogent reason’ to reconsider their earlier decision to clear Osmeña, nine former and current city councilors, and executives of Universal Hotel and Resorts Inc. (UHRI) for criminal charges for the establishment of a casino and resort at Kawit Island.
It was promulgated on December 18, 2023 and penned by Investigation and Prosecution Officer Rhyan Pañales.
However, copies of the decision were only released on Tuesday, September 24, 2024.
Lawyer Amando Virgil Ligutan, legal counsel of Osmeña, welcomed the development.
“While the Ombudsman is on a roll in suspending other local government executives, it is exonerating Tomas Osmeña from his cases. But it’s not surprising,” said Ligutan.
“This is a testament to the truism that there’s not a whiff of corruption under the Tomas Osmeña administration. Zero corruption,” he added.
It can be recalled that in December 2023, the Ombudsman dismissed the criminal complaints whistleblower Crisologo Saavedra filed against Osmeña and others for insufficient substantial evidence.
Saavedra accused them of allowing UHRI to undertake a billion-peso project despite the lack of technical and financial capabilities.
The Ombudsman’s latest decision also came just a week after it dismissed the obstruction of justice cases filed by retired police official and former Cebu City Police Director Royina Garma against Osmeña.
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Garma is currently under intense scrutiny by the House of Representatives for her apparent role in the killing of three Chinese drug lords in a penal facility.
The House has also invited Osmeña as a source speaker for the ongoing House inquiry on extra-judicial killings (EJKs) and the proliferation of illegal Philippine Offshore Gambling Operations (Pogos).
Lawmakers wanted the former mayor to reappear again during their next meeting this Friday, September 27.
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