Ombudsman aspirant hit over remark vs anti-graft agency

Outgoing Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales has slammed defense lawyer Edna Batacan, who is one of those aspiring to be the next chief graftbuster, for calling her office a “graft-ridden” agency.

“Of course, one applicant for this position said there’s a lot of corruption... You know, it’s parang sampal sa mukha (like a slap in the face) when they say that. Come on, come up with evidence,” Morales said.

During her interview with the Judicial and Bar Coun- cil (JBC) last week, Batacan, who used to be a lawyer of President Duterte, said the ombudsman has become a “graft-ridden” agency, where investigators can be bribed to sit on cases.

In a taped interview with Rappler uploaded on its website yesterday, Morales dared Batacan to present evidence on her allegation that corruption activities are rampant at the Office of the Ombudsman.

Batacan is among the 10 aspirants screened by the JBC for the ombudsman post, which will be vacated by Morales on July 26 after serving a sevenyear term.

During her interview, Batacan said she herself was a “victim” of corruption in the ombudsman as she had to pay P50,000 just to get the status of a complaint against one of her clients.

Batacan used to be a public prosecutor under the ombudsman before she switched to private practice.

Aside from Duterte, Batacan’s other former high-profile clients included former first gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam.