Laarni not yet off the hook — PNP

Notwithstanding the temporary restraining order from the court, former actress Laarni Enriquez may find herself being investigated for sedition, police said yesterday.

Senior Superintendent Asher Dolina, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-National Capital Region chief, said Enriquez may be summoned for possible acts of sedition.

"We could not say we will or we will not (file sedition charges). If evidence warrants, we could still file charges against certain people who committed seditious acts," Dolina said.

Dolina, a lawyer by profession, clarified the summons against Enriquez stemmed from the complaint by military intelligence agent T/Sgt. Vidal Doble that he was illegally detained.

Lawyers managed to secure a TRO preventing police investigators from filing any criminal cases against Enriquez and other political opposition personalities being investigated in the wake of an exposé by former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Deputy Director Samuel Ong.

Enriquez, one of the mistresses of deposed President Joseph Estrada, was tagged as the financier of the wiretapped recordings revealed by Ong.

Ong had exposed "the mother of all tapes" revealing supposed conversations between President Arroyo and former election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano and allegedly exposing efforts to fix the results of the May 10, 2004 vote.

Doble was reportedly paid P2 million by Ong to corroborate the alleged wiretapped conversations of Mrs. Arroyo.

Doble, in a sworn statement, claimed Ong revealed to him that Enriquez was the source of the money paid to him to support the exposé.

Doble submitted an affidavit before police investigators detailing how he had been paid P2 million by Ong courtesy of Enriquez. The former actress has denied allegations that she funded Doble.

Enriquez is among the opposition personalities being investigated over allegations by Doble that he was forced to corroborate Ong’s claims.

Doble filed a complaint claiming he was illegally detained at the San Carlos seminary in Makati City where Ong sought refuge after holding a press conference in which he aired his exposé last month.

Ong played the videotape during the press conference on June 10. Waving the videotape before reporters, he claimed the intelligence operative shown in the video was behind the wiretapped recordings.

On the other hand, Dolina said the TRO issued by the Quezon City court against them could be considered moot and academic since investigators have already filed the charges of serious illegal detention against those involved.

Among those who were charged were Ong, Angelito Santiago, actor Rez Cortez and Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay. So far, the CIDG’s investigation has focused on the illegal detention charges filed by Doble.

"In the course of the investigation, if evidence warrants, we will also file charges for violation of the (sedition) law," Dolina said. On the charges against Binay, Dolina said the Department of Justice will schedule the preliminary hearing on the complaint filed by Doble.

"The CIDG provided the DOJ documentary evidence on Doble’s complaints, now it’s up to the DOJ to determine probable cause to warrant the filing of charges," Dolina said.