Man wrongly arrested in Maguindanao massacre case released after 2 years

MANILA, Philippines - The Quezon City judge handling the Maguindanao massacre trial ordered on Thursday the release from detention a man mistakenly arrested as one of the suspects in the Nov. 23, 2009 bloodbath.

In a five-page order released to the media, Regional Trial Court Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes directed the jail warden of the Quezon City Jail-Annex in Camp Bagong Diwa to release Jun P. Aliman, who was previously identified as suspect Sahid Guiamadel.

Solis-Reyes said reasonable doubt clouds the inference that Aliman is the same person as Guiamadel, who was among those charged with 58 counts of murder in connection with the Maguindanao massacre.

The order for the release of Aliman, who was arrested on Dec. 14, 2011 in Kidapawan City, came months after the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) came up with a report saying his arrest was a case of mistaken identity.

“Given the probative value of the undisputed evidence on record emanating from the CIDG officer who at this instance, regularly performed their duties, and who admitted that concerned CIDG personnel erred in effecting the arrest, the court so concludes that the movant (Aliman) is not the accused Guiamadel,” read the order.

In a letter to Solis-Reyes in Nov. 2013, then CIDG Director Francisco Uyami said the real Guiamadel was in fact Arnel Abdullah, who was separately arrested for illegal possession of firearms in Sultan Kudarat on Feb. 22, 2012.

Solis-Reyes directed the issuance of an arrest warrant for Abdullah, who is currently detained at the Sultan Kudarat provincial jail.

Fooled by informant

The investigation of the CIDG showed that the police officer who arrested Aliman was purposely misled by a certain Utto that he was the suspect charged for the massacre.

Supt. Benjamin Silo, acting chief of the CIDG investigation division, said arresting officer PO3 Edgar Dingcong of the PNP Region 12 admitted that he was “fooled by his informant, who had personal interests and motives against Jun P. Aliman.”

“The arrest of Jun P. Aliman was anchored primarily on the picture and warrant of arrest against Sahid Guiamadel. It was not supported by any affidavit of identification or any other pertinent documents of identification that Jun P. Aliman and Sahid Guiamadel is one and the same person,” said Silo.

The investigator said that there were pieces of evidence – including sworn statements of various persons – supporting that Abdullah is the real Guiamadel.

Silo noted that Aliman had vigorously pursued before the proper court through appropriate motions for his immediate release on the ground of illegal arrest and mistaken identity, while Abdullah remained mum on the issue.

Aliman, even after three years of detention, was not arraigned for the multiple murder charge as he kept on filing motions maintaining that he is not Guiamadel.

“This actuation can be safety construed as an admission by silence because human nature when accused of something that is not true would normally break his silence and would oppose it,” said Silo.

Earlier, the prosecution panel said they believe the findings of the CIDG investigation and was convinced that Abdullah was the real Guiamadel.

Lack of coordination

According to the prosecution panel, the lack of coordination between different agencies resulted in the arrest of a person who is not the real accused.

“While we commend their zeal in bringing the perpetrators of these hideous crimes to justice, we lament an apparent lack of coordination between the different entities tasked to effect the warrants for those accused who are still at large,” said the prosecutors.

Earlier, police also arrested Dexson Saptula, alias Mohammad Adam, only to find out that another Saptula, alias Rene Matuti, was already arrested and arraigned for the massacre.

The said issue is currently up for resolution before the court.

Fifty-eight suspects, including 32 media practitioners, died the in massacre dubbed as the single worst incident for journalists in history.