Aguirre clarifies: Peter Lim, several others not yet cleared

FILE: Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II (ACE MORANDANTE/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Tuesday, March 13, clarified that Cebu businessman Peter Go Lim and other respondents in an illegal drug trade case are not yet cleared even after the Department of Justice (DOJ) dismissed criminal complaints against them.

“Suffice it to say that the current status of the case against the respondents Peter Lim et al, does not mean that it is a final exoneration of their respective criminal liabilities,” Aguirre said.

“Under our present procedure in the DOJ, there are possible avenues to review this case, either by a motion for reconsideration, or ultimately, by way of automatic review by my office,” he added.

A DOJ panel of prosecutors issued a resolution seeking to dismiss the complaints filed by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group’s Major Crimes Investigation Unit (PNP-CIDG-MCIU) against Lim and other respondents for violating Section 26(b) in relation to Section 5 of Republic Act (RA) No. 9165.

The resolution was approved by Acting Prosecutor General Jorge Catalan last December 20, 2017.

Aguirre, however, assured that his department has “no hand nor say on the resolution of this case.”

He also said that the dismissal of the drug case against Lim and several others should be a “wake up call” to authorities to be “concerted and thorough.”

“The dismissal is a slight bump on our war against drugs. It is likewise a wakeup [call] to all concerned that our efforts–from apprehension to resolution to conviction–must be concerted and thorough,” Aguirre said.

“However, we remain committed to waging the war on drugs,” he added.

Apart from Lim a.k.a Jaguar, those who have been cleared in the complaint were Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa, Peter Co, Marcelo L. Adorco, Max Miro, Lovely Impal, Jun Pepito, Jermy, Ricky, Warren, Tupie, Jojo, Jaime, Yawa, Lapi, Royroy, Maron, Bay, John Doe, Peter Doe, Robert Doe, and several unidentified others.

The DOJ said that other law enforcement agencies can still file cases against the mentioned individuals if they are “indeed involved in illegal drug activities.”

However, the justice department stressed that these agencies should “refrain from filing cases on the basis solely of an uncorroborated testimony of an evidently self-serving witness.”

On the same day, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that the government would support the refiling of a new case backed by additional evidence against the alleged drug lord and his co-respondents.

“If, upon review, the DOJ finds reason to reverse the dismissal, then it will be reversed. If, however, it is necessary to file additional evidence, we will prompt the police authorities to do so,” Roque said.

The Palace official added that they will not allow a big fish to escape if there is evidence to go after him. He also assured the public that the dismissal of the complaints against Lim, Espinosa, Co, and others is “far from being final.”