The Sandiganbayan has found sufficient evidence against Supt. Francisco Villaroman, a former Manila Police chief, and nine other officers who were accused of extorting HK$300,000 from suspected Chinese drug traders in 1998.
Second Division Associate Justice Teresita Diaz-Baldos rejected motions filed by former Director Reynaldo Acop, Villaroman, Chief Inspetors Julius Caesar Mana and Denn Reed Tuvera, Insp. Cesar Aquino, SPO2 Antonio Ventura, SPO2 Mabini Rosale, SPO1 Danilo Castro, PO3 Ferdinand Apuli and PO1 Anthony Ong seeking dismissal of the direct bribery case for alleged lack of evidence.
“The Court finds that the prosecution has presented sufficient evidence to hold the accused liable for the crime charged,†read the resolution which was concurred in by Associate Justices Samuel Martires and Edilberto Sandoval, division chairman.
The resolution held that the testimonies of prosecution witnesses Mary ‘Rosebud’ Ong, her brother Peter Ong and Remus Garganera had withstood cross-examination by defense lawyers.
Case records showed Mana obtained a search warrant endorsed by Villaroman and Acop from the Pasay Regional Trial Court for a raid at 62 Maria Clara St., Quezon City on Dec. 6, 1998 .
Four Chinese nationals were arrested—Lu Shao Min, Wang Jin Luan, Jin Piao Wang Chua and Li Jiazhu.
Mary Ong testified that the four were eventually released and the charges against them dropped by the city prosecutors on Feb. 24, 1999 ‘for lack of interest to prosecute on the part of the government witnesses’.
She claimed that a certain Chong Hiu Ming paid HK$300,000 and turned over 10 kilos of shabu to the raiding team to secure the release of the four suspects.
Ong said she personally met with Hiu Ming in Hong Kong over the payoff and presented records of telephone calls between Villaroman and Major Avelino Abogado as proof.
The court said Garganera’s testimony corroborated Ong’s account because of his detailed account of the transaction among the accused.
Peter Ong, who acted as driver and interpreter for his sister, also testified on the surveillance made on the suspects and the raid which he witnessed.
The accused said police officials would have to support their contention during their presentation of evidence at the continuation of the trial, the court said. Macon Ramos-Araneta, Manila Standard Today
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