Solicitor General Jose Calida on Tuesday said that any investigation of the Senate into the alleged ill-gotten wealth of President Rodrigo Duterte should as it would only be a “waste of time.”
Calida supported his statement by revealing in a press conference that the investigation into the filed plunder case of opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV against Duterte has already been “closed and terminated” by the Office of the Ombudsman.
The Solicitor General presented a letter from the Office of the Ombudsman showing that the investigation into the complaint against Duterte’s wealth has been closed on Nov. 29, 2017.
Calida also questioned why Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales did not inform that the investigation into the complaint has already been terminated.
According to him, he was only informed of the termination after he wrote a letter to Overall Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang, who informed him that the investigation had ended.
The government’s top lawyer, then, called the Trillanes’ evidence as a “garbage.”
“Trillanes seeks another Senate hearing about his garbage evidence. The Senate should stop this investigation,” Calida said.
“He has to eat his garbage. He was bragging his evidence came from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), and the AMLC disowned it not once, not twice, but thrice,” he stressed.
The Office of the Ombudsman has earlier probed Duterte’s alleged hidden wealth which stemmed from the allegations of Trillanes that the President has transactions that may have violated the Anti-Money Laundering Act.
Trillanes, in response to Calida’s statement, said, “If what I have is nothing but garbage, then why are they panicking? And why can’t Mr. Duterte just accept my challenge for him to sign a waiver and if I am wrong in my allegations then I would resign immediately as Senator and voluntarily walk in any jail of his choice?