Senate probe on Korean’s slay raises more questions
The Senate’s inquiry into the killing of Korean businessman Jee Ickjoo raised more questions, with the policemen allegedly involved in the crime maintaining their innocence and denying their role as principal players in the incident.
In a hearing that lasted close to six hours, the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs headed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson dug into the details of the case that has drawn widespread condemnation from Koreans in the Philippines and in Seoul.
At the center of the case and yesterday’s inquiry was SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel, an operative of the Philippine National Police Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (PNP-AIDG), who has since tendered his resignation and is under the protective custody of the National Bureau of Investigation.
Sta. Isabel was tagged by PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa and PNP Anti- Kidnapping Group ( AKG) chief Senior Supt. Glenn Dumlao as the one who spearheaded the kidnapping and killing of Jee.
Dela Rosa cited as basis five elements pinpointing Sta. Isabel as the perpetrator.
He said there was positive identification of the vehicle used in the kidnapping; the affidavit of Marissa Morquicho, the maid of Jee, identifying Sta. Isabel as the person who entered her employer’s home; a closed-circuit television footage showing Sta. Isabel, together with a certain “Jerry,” withdrawing cash from an ATM; the affidavit of SPO4 Roy Villegas of the AIDG detailing the snatch from the house of Jee to Camp Crame where he was killed; and the statements of the guards of the subdivision where Jee lived.
The security guards said Sta. Isabel went in and out of the subdivision days before Jee was kidnapped.
Just as he has done in his previous statements, Sta. Isabel denied the allegations but admitted that he was aware of an operation being hatched by the AIDG against a certain Albert Chua.
Scenarios
He said the “pre- operation scenario” prepared by the AIDG showed Chua, not Jee, as the subject of the operation of the team.
According to Sta. Isabel, he only saw Jee with Supt. Raphael Dumlao and the other AIDG operatives on the evening of Oct. 18, 2016 at Camp Crame, where the Korean was repeatedly pistol-whipped.
Sta. Isabel claimed he was ordered by Dumlao to kill Morquicho, the maid, but he refused to comply with the order.
Dumlao, for his part, denied all the allegations made by Sta. Isabel.
Dumlao claimed he knew nothing about the operation against Jee as mentioned by Sta. Isabel, as well as the other allegations he made during yesterday’s hearing.