‘PDEA leaks’ star witness found guilty of perjury

MANILA, Philippines — Former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) intelligence agent Jonathan Morales was found guilty of perjury for giving false testimony against two defendants in a drug trafficking case in 2011.

In an 11-page decision on Aug. 7, a San Fernando Municipal Trial Court (MTC) sentenced Morales to four months of imprisonment and ordered him to pay a fine of P1,000.

Morales was the ex-PDEA agent in the so-called “PDEA leaks” who claimed to have signed the supposed leaked pre-operation report in 2012, which named President Marcos and actress Maricel Soriano as allegedly involved in the use of illegal drugs.

In the case at the MTC, Morales was accused of giving false testimony against two Chinese
 suspected of drug trafficking but were eventually acquitted by the San Fernando City Regional Trial Court Branch 43.

Morales testified then that the two were liable for selling, delivering, transporting or distributing drugs but later recanted his testimonies during cross-examination, saying he was forced to testify by his superior Director Lyndon Aspacio. He said he feared getting fired or reassigned to a dangerous place if he did not follow orders.

However, the MTC said it found no evidence to support the claim that Morales was forced or intimidated, adding that Aspacio was not even present when the former PDEA agent filed the affidavit before the state prosecutor.

“Additionally, the fear of being transferred to ‘dangerous assignments’ such as in Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi is rather speculative, if not discriminatory and unwarranted,” the court said.

In a statement, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla commended the prosecution for securing the conviction of Morales.

“May this serve as a reminder to everyone that the court of law was founded by truth and justice where lies and falsehood have no place as it erodes the credibility of our government in dealing with its affairs,” Remulla said.

A Senate committee in May also cited Morales in contempt for “continuously lying” about his personal data.