Ex-DOE chief Cusi indicted for cyberlibel

Former Department of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, who sued several media outfit in 2021 for reporting “libelous and false statements” on his involvement in the controversial Malampaya deal, is now facing a cyberlibel charge after Valenzuela prosecutors indicted him over his statement against Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian’s handling of the Senate investigation on the issue. In a 20-page resolution dated Nov. 14, Valenzuela Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Rudy Ricamora recommended that Cusi be indicted for violation of the Cyber Crime Prevention Act of 2012. The case stemmed from Cusi’s statement that Gatchalian “had chosen to lend his ear to those adversarial business interests.” In indicting Cusi, the prosecutors said his statement “certainly ascribes no other meaning than dishonesty, fraud and abuse of power on the part of Gatchalian.” In his defense, Cusi argued that his statement was not defamatory nor malicious, as he was just criticizing the conduct of the Senate inquiry.