DOJ junks drug complaints vs Peter Lim, others

FILE: Suspected drug lord Peter Lim. (PCOO photo)

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday, March 12 cleared criminal complaints regarding illegal drug trade against Cebu businessman Peter Lim and others, for lack of evidence.

“This resolves the complaint of the Philippine National Police – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group – Major Crimes Investigation Unit (PNP-CIDG-MCIU) for violation of Section 26(b) in relation to Section 5 of Republic Act (RA) No. 9165,” DOJ wrote in its resolution approved by Acting Prosecutor General Jorge Catalan last December 20, 2017.

Through this, DOJ dismissed the charges against Peter Go Lim a.k.a. Jaguar, 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.

According to the DOJ, other law enforcement agencies can still file cases against the mentioned individuals if they are “indeed involved in illegal drug activities.” But the department also stressed that these agencies should “refrain from filing cases on the basis solely of an uncorroborated testimony of an evidently self-serving witness.”

Adorco was arrested in a buy-bust operation by the PNP, together with four other individuals. He has then issued a total of three affidavits while detained in which he narrated the alleged illegal drug trade activities of Espinosa, Co, Lim, and Impal. He also revealed how he got close to Espinosa when they were inside the prison in 2011, and that Espinosa was still able to get updates on the shabu transactions while imprisoned.

“For if we would base our finding of probable cause on such bare and incredible testimony alone, we would open the floodgates to malicious and unwarranted prosecutions and in so doing, renege on our task to objectively and independently determine the cases that need to be filed in court and the persons who should be indicted for the criminal acts,” it added.