World | Philippines
Bribery charges cloud high-profile narcotics case
A dispute involving two government agencies charged with implementing anti-drug laws has forced the presidential palace to intervene after prosecutors resigned en masse charging drug enforcement officials with hampering legal proceedings against three suspects.
- By Gilbert Felongco, Correspondent
- Published: 23:35 January 10, 2009
Manila: A dispute involving two government agencies charged with implementing anti-drug laws has forced the presidential palace to intervene after prosecutors resigned en masse charging drug enforcement officials with hampering legal proceedings against three suspects.
Deputy presidential spokesman Anthony Golez Jr has ordered the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to refrain from issuing statements against each other and instead focus on fighting drug dealers.
"It is better for them to concentrate on their work so they can come up with recommendations to improve our campaign against drugs," Golez said in an interview to government-run radio station dzRB.
The dispute, which pitted government prosecutors against the PDEA, emanated from supposed efforts by government litigants to derail court proceedings against three arrested drug suspects in a bid to get the trio off the hook.
Calling it quits
Prosecutors at the DoJ resigned en masse on Friday as members of a task force handling the case as they said that allegations that they asked for a bribe in exchange for a favourable ruling, have damaged the credibility of the panel.
All members of the DoJ Task Force have resigned from their post, Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuno said on Friday.
DoJ Secretary Raul Gonzalez, however, rejected the resignations.
Earlier, a team of PDEA agents led by Marine Major Ferdinand Marcelino had arrested three suspects -Richard Santos Brodett, Jorge Jordana Joseph and Joseph Ramirez Tecson - in a sting operation on September 20, 2008.
The PDEA suspect that the trio were behind a well-connected syndicate distributing illegal drugs to members of high society.
Brodett, Jordana and Tecson are scions of rich families and live in the posh district of Ayala-Alabang in suburban Muntinlupa City.
Foul play
The case progressed slowly, typical of judicial process in the Philippines, until Marcelino said that there had been an attempt by the trio to bribe PDEA officials with 50 million pesos (Dh3.88 million) in exchange for their freedom.
This prompted the House of Representatives to carry out an investigation into the incident.
Golez said the justice department cannot not be held hostage to the case.
"The system is in place. Even if they resign, there are many who can be appointed to take their place. But that is not important. What is important is to get to the bottom of the bribery allegations" he said.
The PDEA has complained that most of the cases they had filed against drug suspects failed because they were rejected by prosecutors.
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