Caparas: Witness in Davao death squad probe now out of WPP

the witness who linked President-elect Rodrigo Duterte (in photo) to the Davao Death Squad is no longer with the government’s WPP. (Facebook photo)

MANILA, May 20 (PNA) — Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Emmanuel L. Caparas confirmed on Friday that the lone witness in the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS) is now out of the government’s Witness Protection Program (WPP).

In a press conference, Caparas said the witness who linked President-elect Rodrigo Duterte to the Davao Death Squad is no longer with the government’s WPP.

Caparas explained that because the entry into the WPP of the DOJ is voluntary in nature, the exit from the same is also voluntary.

“The affidavit is there, pero wala nang witness. There’s really nothing there anymore,” he said.

Hence, Caparas said, it is no longer possible to continue the investigation on the alleged DDS.

However, Caparas did not give details on when the lone witness against the DDS had left the WPP.

He noted that there are no other documents in the possession of the DOJ, aside from the signed affidavit of the witness against the DDS, hence, the investigation cannot anymore continue.

It will be recalled that before the campaign for the May 9 national elections and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was still being convinced to run for the presidency, the supposed witness, who was an alleged hitman of the DDS, surfaced.

Meanwhile, Caparas said he would leave to the incoming DOJ secretary a functional DOJ, which is full of challenges, such as to supervise the DOJ more efficiently as well as its attached agencies such as the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Bureau of Immigration (BI) and Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).