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[av_heading heading=’Palace: Paolo, in-law need not attend Senate probe ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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Sunday, September 3, 2017
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MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte’s son Paolo, the vice mayor of Davao City, and son-in-law Manases Carpio need not attend the Senate inquiry into the smuggling of P6.4-billion illegal drugs into the country, Malacañang said.
Customs broker Mark Ruben Taguba II has cleared them of any involvement in the alleged irregularity at the Bureau of Customs, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement on Saturday.
On Friday, Taguba apologized to Paolo Duterte and lawyer Carpio and cleared them of any link to a certain “Davao Group” that supposedly facilitated the illegal entry of the prohibited drugs from China.
“With Mark Ruben Taguba II’s statement, there may be no reason for (Paolo Duterte and Carpio) to attend any hearing in Manila, although they have indicated their willingness to testify,” Abella said.
“The legislature is a coequal branch of government, and the executive branch respects the Senate’s independence. We trust its wisdom on this matter,” he added.
Taguba denied on Friday that he implicated Paolo Duterte and Carpio in the shipment of illegal drugs into the country or any anomaly in the Customs.
“I also hereby apologize to Vice Mayor Duterte, Atty. Carpio and to the first family for the proliferation of fake news arising out of my testimony at the Senate yesterday,” Taguba said./PN
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