SINAS TO CHR: LEAVE POLICE OUT OF PROBE

Central Visayas’ top cop will not allow the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) 7 to summon police personnel from Tuburan for its investigation on the buy-bust that resulted in the death of a suspected drug pusher.

Police Regional Office 7 Director Chief Supt. Debold Sinas questioned why the CHR 7 included the police officers who operated on Jimby Casas in their investigation.

The CHR 7 is investigating personnel from the Tuburan District Hospital after nurses there reportedly took and posted on social media a video of Casas as he lay wounded and dying in the hospital’s emergency room.

But CHR 7 director and lawyer Arvin Odron said they’ve included the police in their investigation due to allegations that Casas was not involved in a shootout.

In an interview, Sinas said the CHR 7 can conduct its investigation on Casas’s death, but he won’t allow police officers from Tuburan to be summoned.

“No! We will not allow them. They could summon anybody but not the police. We have already given instructions to them. Now if they (CHR) are investigating, let them investigate. They can go there. But to summon my police officers in their headquarters for an investigation, we will not (allow it),” Sinas told reporters.

Sinas defended police officers from Tuburan and said the buybust against Casas was a legitimate operation.

He said Casas resisted arrest and fought with the operatives, resulting in a shootout.

Sinas pointed out that the police even brought Casas to the hospital, hoping he would survive.

He added that if Casas died in the hospital, it should be the hospital personnel and not the police who must be held liable.

In a separate interview, Odron said that aside from their parallel investigation on Tuburan District Hospital personnel, there is a separate probe on the police involved in the operation.

This, after they received reports that Casas was not involved in any police operation at the time.

Odron said they will still interview police officers involved in the operation to give them due process and allow them to answer the allegations against them.

But if they refuse an interview as ordered by Sinas, then it would be assumed that they have waived their right to due process and the case will be resolved based on the evidence available, Odron said.

“Should our findings later be unfavorable to them, then they have no one to blame except themselves. That is the reason we conduct investigations fairly and objectively, and give them the opportunity to be heard, hence, we need their cooperation and they had better clear themselves at this level of the Commission, rather than endure the rigors of facing subsequent criminal and administrative cases in other fora. Worse, they may not be issued CHR clearance,” Odron added.