MANILA, Philippines—Only the Supreme Court can look into the question of whether or not the Office of the Ombudsman abused its power when it entered into a plea bargain with former military comptroller Carlos Garcia, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez said. In a Jan. 27 letter to the Senate expressing regret for her absence at its inquiry into the plea bargain, Gutierrez reminded the senators that the plea bargain was not yet final.
She said the decision on the agreement’s legality would still be made by the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court.
She further stressed that only the Supreme Court had jurisdiction over the matter: “That question is for the Supreme Court to solely determine, in accord with the distribution of powers in our democratic setup.”
She also reminded the Senate blue ribbon committee that her office was an independent constitutional body with a mandate to investigate and prosecute wrongdoing in the government.
Kristine Alave, Phil. Daily Inquirer
