Fresh court-martial charges mulled vs Lim, other Magdalo soldiers

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is trying to determine if new charges could be filed against Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim and the other soldiers implicated in the Peninsula Manila standoff, aside from the cases they are currently facing for alleged power grab.

Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, AFP public information office chief, said in an interview yesterday that the military’s trial judge advocate is now in the process of gathering information that could pave the way for a pre-trial investigation (PTI) against Lim and other military officers and enlisted personnel in connection with the said incident.

“Our lawyers have taken some of the videos that we have. This is the initial stage of the investigation,” he said.

Bacarro said that if the Trial Judge Advocate has gathered enough information to warrant a pre-trial investigation, an officer would be assigned to conduct the procedures to determine whether there is prima facie evidence to file new charges before the military court martial.

“You can call it a case build-up, but we have procedures; the official investigation will start once the PTI officer is designated. We can say that we are in the preparatory stage, gathering materials, we will still review it,” he said.

Bacarro emphasized that this would not prejudice the proceedings of the earlier charges of the violations of the Articles of War that Lim and the other officers are facing before the military tribunals because the Peninsula Manila standoff is another alleged violation.

“If for example, I am being tried for breach of discipline and while the case is ongoing I commit another offense, the first case would not prevent the filing of another case against me,” he explained.

Lim, along with 27 other officers, is facing trial before the military court for alleged violations of the Articles of War in connection with the foiled Feb. 24, 2006 coup plot.