Former Philippine House Speaker Martin Romualdez pleaded not guilty to a plunder charge over an alleged misuse of 7.4 billion pesos (US$118 million) in public funds meant for flood control projects.
Romualdez, a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., entered his plea before the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court today through a video conference from Quezon City Jail.
He appeared in a wheelchair wearing a yellow detainee shirt and blue jacket, days after being transferred to the jail from a hospital.
Romualdez is among several high-profile figures arrested in connection with a multi-billion peso corruption scandal involving flood control projects across the typhoon-prone Philippines.
He has previously denied wrongdoing.
The funds at the centre of the case were intended for projects to mitigate flooding, but authorities accuse Romualdez of playing a role in their alleged misuse.
The scandal was exposed by Marcos in a national address last year and has since disrupted government spending.
The controversy has also been linked to a sharp slowdown in the Philippine economy, with growth falling to its weakest pace since 2009 outside the pandemic period.
Bloomberg
