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[av_heading heading=’Justice sec blames CIDG for ‘weak’ case’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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Thursday, March 15, 2018
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MANILA – Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II blamed the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for the dismissal of the drug charges against self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa and several others.
The CIDG’s case was “weak,” Aguirre said, pointing out the “non-inclusion” in the complaint of Espinosa’s testimonies in Senate hearings in 2016 on his supposed involvement in the drug trade.
“Mahina po, at hindi lamang iyon, pati iyong ebidensyang dapat isinama na akala ng public ay isinama na katulad halimbawa noong inamin daw ni Kerwin Espinosa iyong pagti-trade niya ng drugs,” Aguirre said yesterday.
“Ngayon hindi naman iyan ibinigay bilang ebidensya doon sa DOJ kaya hindi natin masasabi, hindi natin maisasama iyan sa mga ebidensyang gagamitin sa pagresolba doon sa mga kaso,” he added.
Aguirre directed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the prosecutors who recommended the dismissal of the charges. He also formed a new panel to review the decision.
He wanted the NBI to do a case buildup to find out if the National Prosecution Service committed possible misfeasance, malfeasance or nonfeasance, or other violations of law.
In a resolution released on Monday, Assistant State Prosecutors Michael John M. Humarang and Aristotle M. Reyes recommended the dismissal of the case against Lim, Espinosa, convicted drug lord Peter Co, Marcelo L. Adorco, Max Miro, Lovely Impal, Ruel Malindagan, Jun Pepito, and several others known only by aliases.
The prosecutors said the police heavily relied on Adorco’s testimony, which were inconsistent based on his three affidavits. Moreover the police failed to submit corroborating evidence, they said.
NO EFFECT ON DE LIMA
Meanwhile, the CIDG said the dismissal of the case will not affect the drug-related charges lodged against Sen. Leila de Lima.
“My case on Peter Lim and others [is] not related to (former Justice) secretary Leila de Lima. … These are two separate and distinct cases,” CIDG chief Director Roel Obusan told a news conference yesterday.
De Lima was charged and arrested in February last year for alleged involvement in the drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison.
Espinosa was one of those who testified in a Senate inquiry in November 2016 that de Lima received drug money from him when she was still the Justice secretary./PN
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