Indictment vs ‘drug lords’
PNP hails indictment of Peter Lim and Kerwin Espinosa
THE Philippine National Police (PNP) hailed on Monday, August 13, the Justice department’s indictment of Cebu-based businessman Peter Lim on drug charges filed against him, selfconfessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, and several others.
The drug charges against Lim, Espinosa and several others were filed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
“The indictment of Peter Lim is consistent with our own investigation on the illegal drug activities of the persons involved,” said PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde in a press conference in Camp Crame.
“This only goes to show that the government’s campaign against illegal drugs trade does not discriminate against the poor. Simply put, whether one is rich or poor or whether you are influential businessman or just an ordinary person, the law applies equally to all,” he added.
Albayalde said the CIDG awaits for the issuance of arrest order against Lim.
In a statement on Friday, August 10, the DOJ said the panel of prosecutors found probable cause in filing drug charges in relation to the violation of Section 26(b) — conspiracy — in relation to Section 5 — sale, trading administration, etc of dangerous drugs — of Article II of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 against Lim alias Jaguar, Espinosa, Marcelo Adorco, Ruel Malindangan and Lovely Impal before the Makati City Regional Trial Court.
The panel said it finds the admission of Espinosa and his aide Adorco in a Senate investigation on the proliferation of illegal drugs where they identified Lim as their supplier of illegal drugs, sufficient to establish probable cause to charge them.
“The panel states that the defense of respondent that he is not one alias “Jaguar” is immaterial, as he was positively identified by both Espinosa and Adorco. Furthermore, his alibi that he could not have possible been in Thailand during the time arrested by Adorco has yield to the positive and affirmative statements of the said witness,” the statement reads.
In a resolution dated July 19, the same panel likewise find probable cause to charge Espinosa, Wu Tuan Yan also known as Peter Co, Adorco, Impal and Malindangan for the same case as Lim.
On March 12, then prosecution panel dismissed the drugs charges filed by the CIDG Major Crimes Investigation Unit (MICU) against Espinosa, Lim, Co, Adorco, Max Miro, Impal and at least 15 others, including their alleged accomplices, due to insufficiency of evidences and inconsistencies on the statement of the witnesses.
The CIDG filed a motion for reconsideration on the case, while President Rodrigo Duterte and then DOJ secretary Vitaliano Aguirre ordered the review of the case.