DOJ: Why reject Korean mafia angle?

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II is questioning why the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) should not look into the possible involvement of the Korean mafia in businessman Jee Ick-joo’s kidnap-slay.

In an interview over radio station dzMM last Friday, Aguirre said Jee’s widow, Choi Kyungjin, and some Korean officials are allegedly discounting the “possible involvement of the Korean mafia. They said they have already discounted that, saying the Korean mafia had nothing to do with that.”

Aguirre recently met with Choi and a police attaché and consul from the Korean embassy.

He said that he is puzzled by this pronouncement.

“I am not an investigator but I think all theories of the case should be explored and the investigation should continue until such time that the investigator has determined that this theory is unfounded, before you could go to other theories,” he said.

Aguirre is also considering the possibility that kidnapping Jee was “just an afterthought.”

He said if the intention of the suspects was to kidnap Jee, they should have kept him alive, because his family would have required “proof of life.”

Earlier, Aguirre said that he would not give in to Choi’s request for the NBI to stop its investigation of his kidnap and murder. He said he has discussed this with NBI officials.

“More or less, at this stage, they would not withdraw from the case because they already have leads that they need to pursue,” he said.

Choi wanted only the Philippine National Police (PNP) to conduct the investigation.

Aguirre said the NBI has custody some of the suspects in Jee’s killing – Senior Police Officer 3 Ricky Sta. Isabel and NBI errand boy Jerry Omlang – and gathered evidence such as the broken urn where Jee’s ashes were reportedly placed after he was cremated.

Jee was reportedly killed at Camp Crame hours after he was kidnapped from his home in Angeles City, Pampanga on Oct. 18, 2016.