First Pharmally pleadings were ‘flawed’, reconfiguration ongoing — Ombudsman
MANILA, Philippines — Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla stood by the decision to withdraw and review the Pharmally cases that were filed at the Sandiganbayan, alluding that they seemed to have been built to fail.
During the Stratbase Institute’s Pilipinas Conference, Remulla said that he had his suspicions over the hurried filing of the Pharmally cases prior to his appointment as Ombudsman.
Remulla said that he could smell something fishy a mile away.
“We withdrew the cases. We're reconfiguring everything now. There was even a case in the Pharmally cases where no damage to government was alleged,” Remulla said.
This would confuse the jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan, Remulla said. The Sandiganbayan is the country’s anti-graft court.
The Pharmally raps amount to around P4 billion.
The Sandiganbayan recently allowed the Ombudsman’s request to withdraw six graft cases.
The Pharmally cases stemmed from the anomalous purchase of medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite a small start-up capital of P626,000, the government awarded Pharmally contracts worth P8.68 billion. A Senate probe would later show evidence that the medical equipment purchased from Pharmally was substandard.
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