NBI asks for consolidation of cases vs. Veloso’s recruiters

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MANILA — The Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to decide on the request of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to just consolidate the new and earlier complaints filed against the suspected recruiters of Mary Jane Veloso.

During the inquest proceedings, the lawyers from the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), who are representing Kristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao, expressed their apprehension because it appeared that there was a “duplication” of the complaints filed against their clients.

Atty. Howard Areza, lawyer from PAO asked the DOJ that what will happen during the scheduled preliminary investigation on Friday for the earlier complaint filed by the NBI against Lacanilao and Sergio?

Areza said that if the two separate complaints would be consolidated, it should undergo a preliminary investigation and not inquest proceedings which would mean that his clients could be released.

In this connection, Assistant State Prosecutor Mark Roland Estepa, the prosecutor who handled the inquest proceedings, said that the request for consolidation of cases would be included in the matters that he would decide on.

The prosecutor has a period of 36 hours or until Thursday morning to decide on whether the new case filed by the NBI against Lacanilao and Sergio should be filed in court.

Aside from the Veloso family, there are 10 additional complainants together with the NBI in the filing of the complaint before the DOJ.