The office of the Ombudsman has sought the issuance of a Precautionary Hold Departure Order (PHDO) against Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero and businessman Maynard Ngu in view of the ongoing probe into their links to anomalous flood control project contracts of the government.

Under the Ombudsman petition, a PHDO will prevent the former speaker and the businessman from leaving the country while the probe is ongoing. The are facing allegations of graft, plunder and indirect bribery.

Sandiganbayan”s Sixth Division has been assigned to decide ont he issue.

Government has implicated the former Senate president and Ngu in supposed irregular flood control contracts where the two allegedly received kickbacks.

Their names surface during a Senate inquiry into various allegations of massive anomalies in the implementation of flood control projects.

Appearing before the Senate hearings, former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo accused Ngu of acting as Escudero’s alleged “bagman” collecting the senator’s supposed kickbacks from the anomalous deals.

Bernardo claimed that Escudero took at least PhP160 million payoff through Ngu. The money was allegedly turned over to Ngu during a meeting at a bar in Taguig City.