Cops in Korean’s slay stay at Crame
Two police officers tagged in the kidnap-slaying of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo will remain in Philippine National Police (PNP) custody at its headquarters at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
Angeles City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 58 Judge Irineo Pangilinan granted yesterday the petition of the PNP seeking the detention of Senior Police Officer 3 Ricky Sta. Isabel and SPO4 Roy Villegas at Camp Crame instead of the provincial jail for security reasons.
The court set the arraignment of Sta. Isabel, Villegas, Ramon Yalung and four other suspects known only as “Pulis,” “Jerry,” “Sir Dumlao” and “Ding” on Jan. 30, according to Superintendent Dennis Wagas, legal officer of the Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG).
The PNP took custody of Sta. Isabel from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after the court issued a warrant for his arrest last week.
Sta. Isabel seeks reinvestigation
Sta. Isabel, who allegedly strangled Jee at Camp Crame, has sought a reinvestigation of the case.
In an urgent motion filed by his lawyers, Sta. Isabel asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to review the charges of kidnapping for ransom with homicide filed against him.
He also asked the Angeles RTC to order his return to the NBI custody.
Sta. Isabel alleged that he was deprived of his constitutional right to due process when the DOJ filed the nonbailable case without according him his right to disprove the allegations in a preliminary investigation.
He lamented that the DOJ hastily issued a resolution finding probable cause against him on Jan. 17.
“The accused herein invokes his right to due process and asks this court to accord him such fundamental right under the law,” Sta. Isabel argued.
“The information was hastily filed without giving him the chance to file his counteraffidavit to refute the complaint,” he added.
Sta. Isabel asked the RTC to defer his arraignment due to the possibility that the charges against him can either be “modified or dismissed.”
Death threats
In seeking his return to NBI custody, Sta. Isabel told the court that he is not safe at Camp Crame after he implicated several PNP officials in the case.
Sta. Isabel had linked his superior, Superintendent Rafael Dumlao, one of the team leaders of the Anti- Illegal Drug Group (AIDG), and Senior Superintendent Allan Macapagal of the AKG to the killing of Jee.
The AIDG recommended yesterday the filing of an administrative complaint for grave misconduct and serious neglect of duty against Dumlao with the PNP Internal Affairs Service.
“Since the accused is a member of the PNP detained at the institution’s detention facility, he fears for his life as he continuously receives death threats,” the pleading declared.
“Accused will be safer in the custody of the NBI, considering that the case involved not only him but also several higher PNP officials,” it stressed.
Sta. Isabel said his private lawyers refused to represent him in court “due to threats to their lives.”
He admitted in his affidavit that he took part in disposing of Jee’s remains. But he denied kidnapping and killing the victim.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has cited the possibility that higher PNP officials were involved in the case after Sta. Isabel and his wife Jinky submitted evidence pointing to the alleged involvement of his superiors.
Meanwhile, Sen. Edgardo Angara said the government should go out of its way in ensuring the safety of Koreans in the country.
Angara said Korean tourists pour billions of pesos into the economy annually.
He lauded Malacañang for apologizing to the South Korean government for the death of Jee.