MANILA — The Sandiganbayan Third Division ordered the 90-day preventive suspension of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who is currently detained at the Quezon City Jail in Payatas, as he faces a plunder case involving an alleged ₱7.44-billion ill-gotten wealth from government infrastructure projects.

Atty. Dennis Pulma, clerk of court of the Third Division, confirmed the issuance of the suspension order.

“The resolution orders the former speaker to cease and desist from the functions of his office or any other office,” Pulma said.

The court directed its clerk of court to furnish a copy of the resolution to the House Speaker through the Office of the Secretary General. It also ordered the House to report any action taken within five days of receiving the resolution.

The plunder case involves allegations of kickbacks from government infrastructure projects, including irregularities in more than 400 projects, among them flood control works.

During the hearings, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Programming Division Chief Peter Paul Cortez testified that Romualdez was listed as a proponent of approximately ₱27.4 billion worth of infrastructure projects in the agency’s 2025 database.

Cortez said the project listings bypassed the DPWH’s standard review process and appeared after the General Appropriations Act was passed through bicameral conference committee deliberations.

Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco also testified that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had previously reprimanded Romualdez over project fund allocations during the budget process.