House panel: Ombudsman must wait for Senate verdict before pursuing charges against VP Duterte

The House prosecution panel stated on Tuesday that the Office of the Ombudsman must wait for the Senate impeachment court's verdict regarding Vice President Sara Duterte before deciding whether to pursue criminal charges against her.

According to Atty. Antonio Bucoy, spokesperson of the House prosecution panel, the law mandates that the Ombudsman cannot investigate an impeachable official unless the goal is to file a verified impeachment complaint.

Bucoy emphasized that since the impeachment proceedings have begun and the Senate impeachment court has jurisdiction over the case, the Ombudsman should await the outcome of the trial before taking any further action.

Last week, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered Duterte to respond to allegations including technical malversation and falsification of public documents, despite the House good government and public accountability panel not filing a complaint against her.

House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability Chairperson Rep. Joel Chua expressed surprise over the Ombudsman's swift action, which took only three days without preliminary investigation.