DOJ execs eye raps vs ‘bribery’ accusers

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Justice (DOJ) panel handling the Maguindanao massacre case is considering legal action against those who accused panel members of receiving million-peso bribes from the Ampatuans.

Supervising Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III and former DOJ panel head Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon said yesterday they will take action to clear their names of the “malicious” and “unfair” insinuations.

“We’re contemplating (on taking legal action). You will know at the right time,” Fadullon said in an interview.

He, however, did not specify the charges they would file. He also did not name who would be slapped with the complaints.

Private prosecutor Nena Santos and state witness Lakmudin Saliao earlier publicly accused Baraan and members of the DOJ panel of receiving millions in bribe money from the Ampatuans, the principal suspects in the massacre, to sabotage the case.

The DOJ officials were also offended specifically by a series of reports by ABS-CBN News last week on the notebook from former defense lawyer Arnel Manaloto listing those who allegedly received the bribe money.

The report by veteran journalist Ces Drilon named Baraan and Fadullon as among those who received the money.

The notebook reportedly showed the names of Baraan, who allegedly received a total of P13.5 million from the Ampatuans, while Paula Garcia, former secretary of Baraan, allegedly got P7.5 million.

Several aliases were also found in the notebook, including the name “Speedy.” The report said that Speedy, who received P10 million and a new car from the Ampatuan, was the alias used by private prosecutor Harry Roque Jr.

Also in the list, according to the report, was the information that Fadullon was supposedly given P5 million in May 2011 and P2 million in January 2012.

It also contained the names of other government prosecutors and private lawyers, as well as the names of the families of the victims of the Maguindanao massacre.

Both Baraan and Fadullon vehemently denied the charges.

Fadullon stressed that while the allegation was not true, ABS-CBN was equally “irresponsible” and “unprofessional” in reporting it.

“There was never an attempt to bribe during the time I was chair of the panel of the Maguindanao massacre case. We were very careful in the panel,” he said.

“I challenge the source to come out in the open and not hide behind the camera. I also challenge the network to bring out the entire notebook and not hide, not make it hazy. If they’re saying it is the right of the public to know, why hide it? Why be selective? Are you trying to hide something? To protect someone?” the senior prosecutor stressed.

Fadullon resigned as head of the panel in March 2011 after clashing with Santos on the strategy to be taken in the prosecution of the case.

The National Bureau of Investigation has started its probe on the bribery charges upon orders of DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima.

To be summoned in the probe are Baraan, Fadullon, Santos, Saliao, Manaloto, Drilon and Ampatuan lawyer Sigfrid Fortun, who resigned as defense counsel last week.

Something fishy

De Lima, for her part, said she smells something fishy in the move of defense lawyers of the Ampatuans to resign from the case amid a squabble in the prosecution team over multimillion-peso bribery allegations.

“Of course, we can’t discount the possibility that all these are meant to delay the resolution of the case. The timing is really suspicious,” she said in an interview.

“It’s very interesting, it’s perplexing. I’m so curious about this,” she stressed, citing the lack of reason from the defense team led by Fortun.

Asked if she thinks the recent developments on the case could be related, De Lima said she has a theory but would rather gather proof first.

“I’m definitely going to deeply analyze the situation. I will analyze the whole thing. I’ve been analyzing things for the past few days over the bribery allegations, and with this development on resignation of the defense counsels, there’s even more to think about,” she said.

The DOJ chief cited, for instance, the lack of a clear and valid explanation of the camp of Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu and his lawyer Santos to oppose the move of the DOJ panel to close the case against principal accused Andal “Datu Unsay” Ampatuan Jr. and 27 others for the murder of 58 people on Nov. 23, 2009.

“Our prosecutors said, and other private prosecutors agreed, that the case is ripe, that the case against Datu Unsay is very strong,” she said.

De Lima gave the NBI 30 days to conclude the probe and submit its findings.