MANILA - It's just like any other case from the Ombudsman.

This was what the Ombudsman Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) acting chief Wendell Barreras-Sulit said Monday on how they will treat the graft case against former Commission on Election (Comelec) chair Benjamin Abalos and former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) director-general Romulo Neri.

“They are facing criminal charges, they not superstars. They will have to go through normal trial procedures like all the rest,” Sulit said in a phone interview even as the Ombudsman resolution of indictment has yet to be formally sent to the OSP.

While she acknowledged that media people and politicians will be paying close attention to the case owing to its controversial beginnings, Sulit said the OSP is not inclined to create a special prosecution panel like it did during the plunder trial of former President Joseph Estrada at the Sandiganbayan.

“If we treat them differently, lalaki lang lalo ang ulo ng mga akusado. Their lawyers will be playing up to the media all the time. We cannot allow that to happen. This case must be decided on the strength of evidence alone,” Sulit stressed.

Abalos was ordered indicted for bribery in the $329 National Broadband Network project with Chinese firm, ZTE.

Neri, meanwhile, was implicated for alleged lack of “prudence and transparency” in his actions as NEDA chief.

'Politicians beware'

Sulit urged government officials on either side of the case to spare the OSP from politics.

“We will do the best job we can and we will not buckle under any political pressure. I hope you can help us make this clear to everyone,” she said.

Sulit pointed out that playing politics with high-profile cases against public officials would be a bad idea for prosecutors because more often than not, cases in court outlive most administrations in Malacañang.

“Definitely there will be no politics regardless of the administration. They may come and go, but we will always stay because we are career officials. Basta kami trabaho lang,” she said.

The Ombudsman panel composed of Deputy Ombudsman for Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices (MOLEO) Emilio Gonzalez II as chairman, and Deputy Special Prosecutors Robert Kallos and Jesus Micael; Assistant Ombudsman Rodolfo Elman and Director Caesar Asuncion recommended the filing of graft charges against Abalos and Neri.

Their recommendation was approved by Overall Deputy Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro in lieu of Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez, who made a voluntary inhibition.

Gutierrez was a Ateneo law school batchmate of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, one of the respondents in the ZTE case, and also served as Presidential Legal Counsel for President Arroyo.

Criminal complaints against Pangasinan Rep. Jose De Venecia Jr. and his son, Joey de Venecia III; Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza and assistant secretaries Lorenzo Formoso and Elmer Soneja; and ZTE Corp. officials Yu Yong, George Zhu Ying, Fan Yan and Hou Weigui were dismissed due to lack of probable cause.