Prosecutors, Mary Ann fight over Dumpit case

CEBU, Philippines - Intramurals over who has authority to prosecute the murder case against SPO3 Adonis Dumpit occurred yesterday between the Ombudsman prosecutors and the controversial lady prosecutor, who admitted her closeness to the accused police officer.

Assistant Cebu City Prosecutor Mary Ann Castro, who is assigned as resident prosecutor at the Regional Trial Court Branch 6 where Dumpit’s case is pending, yesterday moved for the formal downgrading of the murder case to homicide citing the presence of the amended resolution from the Military Ombudsman and other Law Enforcement Offices.

The Ombudsman panel of prosecutors led by lawyer Gaudioso Melendez opposed Castro’s manifestation which resulted to the latter’s questioning the anti-graft prosecutors’ authority to prosecute the case.

Castro said the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office was authorizedby MOLEO to prosecute the case. Melendez however insisted that their authority to prosecute the case emanates from Section 31 of the Republic Act 6770 otherwise known as the Ombudsman Act.

The intramurals between the prosecutors prompted RTC JudgeEster Veloso to hold in abeyance the resolution of the pending motion filed byDumpit asking the court to allow his detention at the Criminal Investigationand Detection Group instead of the Cebu City Jail because of security reasons.

“Why is the prosecution fighting against each other,” Veloso asked.Veloso has given the prosecution 15 days to clarify with the Ombudsman military, which among them has the real authority to prosecute the case.

Aside from the Ombudsman’s three-man panel and Castro, state prosecutor Llena Ipong Avila and former Public Attorney Rizalina Zozobrado are also helping the prosecution.

Zozobrado was hired by the complainant as private prosecutor.

Castro however decided later to inhibit herself voluntarily from prosecuting the case citing her closeness to Dumpit.

Castro admitted that Dumpit is closeto her being her shooting trainer.

Dumpit, a range officer, taught Castro how to shoot which has earned the lady prosecutor a national recognition in the shooting competition among prosecutors.

Meanwhile the Ombudsman prosecutors yesterday withdrew their motion asking the court to order the police officials to show cause why they failed to arrest Dumpit despite a warrant of arrest issued by the court.

The anti-graft prosecutors decided to withdraw the motion for being moot and academic considering that Dumpit has already surrendered.

Dumpit turned himself voluntarily in Mindanao to his immediate superior.

The court has also moved the scheduled arraignment on Tuesday to March 1.

Dumpit is accused in the shooting to death of Ron-Ron Go, a minor who was also a suspected robber, in December 2004. — /NLQ   (FREEMAN NEWS)