Court to hire own computer expert

CEBU, Philippines - The scheduled court viewing of the files contained in the flash disk and the video camera of Bella Ruby Santos might again be postponed because the court wanted to hire its own Information Technology expert.

Regional Trial Court Judge Mienrado Paredes said the court will hire its own expert to facilitate the viewing of the devices to avoid objections from both parties. He said that the IT experts of Santos and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-7 will only serve as observers.

The viewing of the files is supposed to be done tomorrow after it was postponed last week. The first postponement was due to the objection made by the camp of Santos because the laptop computer that was supposed to be used in the viewing was owned by the CIDG as well as the IT expert.

Santos expressed concerns of possible tampering of the files prompting the court to reschedule the viewing supposedly tomorrow to allow the defense to look for their own IT expert.

Paredes however decided to find an expert for the court to dispel whatever apprehensions from both camps. Paredes said as soon as the files are viewed, sex videos will either be forwarded or stopped.

He said Santos will be questioned for every picture in the devices showing Filipinos.

Meanwhile, the investigating panel conducting the preliminary investigation of the criminal complaints for kidnapping with homicide against Santos and her British boyfriend Ian Charles Griffiths might resolve the complaint without the counter-affidavit of the latter.This after lawyer Rameses Villagonzalo said he is only representing Santos.

Prosecutor Annabelle Robles said they could not serve the subpoena to Griffiths because he was already out of the country. Griffiths was already in London.

Santos and Griffiths were accused in the kidnapping and murder of six-year-old Ellah Joy Pique in February. (FREEMAN)