Prosecutors: 3 Ombudsman execs to testify vs Merci

Prosecutors in the upcoming impeachment trial of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez on Thursday said they have “convinced" several former ranking officials of the Office of the Ombudsman to testify against her. Lawyer Mauro Reyes, one of the private prosecutors being tapped to join congressmen-prosecutors when the trial begins in May, told reporters they are considering these officials as "major" witnesses. He, however, withheld their identities. "Basta puwede sila maisama sa ilang articles of impeachment, particularly sa dismal performance due to low conviction rate," Reyes said at a press conference at the Akbayan headquarters in Quezon City. Akbayan was one of the two complainants in the impeachment case against Gutierrez that was approved by the House of Representatives. Gutierrez was impeached for alleged betrayal of public trust due to allegations that she did not act on several high-profile cases. Lawmakers have approved six articles of impeachment to be used against Gutierrez. Senators will convene next month as judges who will tackle each article and vote at the end whether or not she deserves to stay in her position. Reyes is also the legal counsel in the complaints filed against former Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Mark Jalandoni, who was forced to resign from his post last April 8 amid several complaints lodged before the Office of the President for alleged usurpation of functions and authority. Asked to give more details on the witnesses, lawyer Stephen David, another private prosecutor in the impeachment trial, told GMA News Online after the press conference that "there are at least three and they are former or retired officials of the Ombudsman who have agreed to take the witness stand." "And these three are still convincing their other colleagues to join them in testifying," David said, adding that their camp is expecting to bring up to around 10 the number of Ombudsman officials who will turn into witnesses. Apart from her alleged dismal performance, the other articles of impeachment were: