No NBI personnel involved in Jee kidnap-slay case—Sta. Isabel

Senior Police Officer 3 (SPO3) Ricky Sta. Isabel on Thursday said that no personnel from National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) was involved in the in the kidnap-slay of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo. (Photo: Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA—Senior Police Officer 3 (SPO3) Ricky Sta. Isabel on Thursday said that no personnel from National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) was involved in the in the kidnap-slay of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo.

Sta Isabel, who was tagged as the prime suspect in the case, said most of the people who took part in the crime were men under by former PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Group-Pampanga (AIDG) head Superintendent Rafael Dumlao III.

”Walang NBI na involved dito puro bata lahat ni Atty. Dumlao dito. Mali ang theory nila na may involve na mga taga-NBI,” Sta. Isabel told reporters after the second preliminary investigation on charges of kidnapping for ransom with homicide against Dumlao and seven others on Thursday afternoon.

”Puro lahat tauhan ni Dumlao ang involved dito para magkaroon ng meritorious promotion sila,” he noted.

Sta. Isabel earlier surrendered to the NBI and transferred to PNP custody last Jan.20 after the issuance of arrest warrant by the Angeles City Regional Trial Court (RTC) against him and six other accused in the crime.

He admitted in his affidavit that he took part in dispatching the Jee’s body but denied kidnapping and killing the victim himself.

Dumlao was present in the second hearing on Thursday together with other respondents namely SPO4 Roy Villegas, Gerardo Santiago, Jerry Omlang, Ramon Yalung, and Alan Gruenberg.

During the hearing, Department of Justice (DOJ) panel composed of Senior Assistant State Prosecutors Juan Pedro Navera and Olivia Torrevillas ordered the complainant the Philippine National Police-Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG) together with NBI to submit all the documents including the original complaint filed in Pampanga Regional Trial Court Branch 58, supplemental and other documents in the current case and also furnish the documents to the legal counsel of the respondents on February 20.

The DOJ panel set the next hearing on March 2 at 2 p.m. where the respondents are set to file their respective counter-affidavits in response to the accusations against them.

Also present in the hearing was Jee’s wife Kyujin Choi, accompanied by her lawyer Bryan Bantilan, and Jee’s maid Marisa Morquicho.

To recall, the Jan. 17 resolution penned by Torrevillas only named three accused in the kidnapping for ransom with homicide case: Sta. Isabel, Villegas and Yalung while other suspects tagged in the case were identified only through aliases “Pulis,” “Ding,” “Jerry,” and “Sir Dumlao.”

The resolution was received by the Pampanga Regional Trial Court Branch 58. The local court granted primary suspect Sta. Isabel’s request for reinvestigation.

RTC Judge Irineo Pangilinan Jr. , gave the DOJ 60 days or until March 3 “to conduct the reinvestigation and to submit the resolution.”

The court also reset the arraignment of the accused to April 19.