Leader of Lee’s arresting team to assume new post tomorrow

MANILA, Philippines - The controversial former head of the police unit that arrested fugitive real estate magnate Delfin Lee will be assuming his post tomorrow as the deputy regional director for operations of Philippine National Police (PNP) Regional Office 7 in Cebu.

PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Reuben Sindac said former Task Force Tugis head Senior Supt. Conrado Capa will start his new duties tomorrow.

Capa’s replacement as Task Force Tugis commander has yet to be selected. The task force will temporarily be under the supervision of PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima, Sindac added.

He declined to comment on whether the PNP leadership will impose disciplinary sanctions on Capa for publicly challenging the order of Purisima to transfer him to Central Visayas from Task Force Tugis, but Sindac stressed that there is no gag order on Capa.

“Walang (there is no) gag order. We just all agreed to let this matter rest for now,” he said in a text message to The STAR yesterday.

Earlier, Sindac was quoted as saying that the PNP would defer taking action against Capa, who publicly denounced the police leadership for his sudden relief from his post.

The PNP spokesman said Capa was given the chance to choose if he would stay or proceed with his new assignment in Cebu.

“He was made to choose by our DP (Directorate for Personnel and Records Management) one more time if he wants to remain in Task Force Tugis or proceed with the assignment of DRDO (deputy regional director for operations) of PRO 7. And he chose to pursue the DRDO assignment,” Sindac said.

Earlier, Malacañang also said Capa’s reassignment to Central Visayas was a promotion and not a demotion as he had complained.

Purisima relieved Capa last Thursday, exactly one week after the police unit arrested Lee, president of Globe Asiatique Realty Holdings Corp.

Lee was arrested last March 6 by elements of Task Force Tugis at the lobby of the Hyatt Hotel in Ermita, Manila by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by the San Fernando, Pampanga Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 42 in connection with the Pag-IBIG housing loan scam where Lee allegedly used “ghost borrowers” for Globe Asiatique’s housing projects.

Lee had been a fugitive since the RTC ordered his arrest in 2011. Purisima said the relief of Capa from the task force was not a punishment but was actually a reward.