17 Abus get life terms for 2000 Sipadan kidnapping

MANILA, Philippines — A Taguig court has convicted 17 members of the Abu Sayyaf group over the kidnapping and serious illegal detention of 19 foreigners and two Filipinos in 2000.

In a 157-page decision promulgated on Oct. 16, the Taguig City Regional Trial Court Branch 153 found 17 Abu Sayyaf members guilty of 21 counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention with ransom, and sentenced each of them to life in prison for each count.

They were also ordered to pay their victims P300,000 in moral, civil and exemplary damages.

The Abu Sayyaf kidnapped the 21 at gunpoint from a diving resort on Sidapan Island in Malaysia in April 2000.

The victims were taken by boat to Talipao, Sulu and held captive in Jolo, Sulu while the bandits demanded ransom from the hostages’ families and their governments.

The hostages were released over several months after ransom was paid to the kidnappers.

Among the 17 convicted are high-profile individuals listed in the United Nations Security Council’s sanctions list, including Hilarion del Rosario Santos, also known as Ahmed Islam Santos, and Redendo Cain Dellosa.

Santos is the founder and leader of the Rajah Solaiman Movement while Dellosa is also a leader of the RSM.

The UN Security Council tagged them both in 2008 for their association with al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden or the Taliban and for participating in the financing, planning, preparing or perpetrating acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf of or in support of and recruiting for the Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah Islamiyah and the RSM.

Also convicted were Alkaiser Baladji, Omar Galo, Muner Jumalla, Najer Ibrahim, Jahid Susukan, Ben Mahar Abraham, Said Massud, Hajid Elhano, Jundam Jawad, Akjunib Hashim, Michael Pajiji, Alhadi Aylani, Dhad Suraidi, Julkipli Salih and Saltimar Sali.

Meanwhile, the RTC found five other accused, namely Manggona Malili, Abdulkahil Malla, Abdul Mubeen Sakandal, Ahiri Tada and Radzmar Sangkula Jul not guilty of the charges and ordered their immediate release from detention.

The court also dismissed the charges by reason of death against top Abu Sayyaf leaders Galib Andang also known as Commander Robot, Nadjmi Sabdulla aka Commander Global and several others, who were killed during an attempted jailbreak at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig in 2005.

The accused, including Santos and Dellosa, had to be charged for kidnapping and serious illegal detention with ransom since the incident happened in 2000 when the Philippines did not yet have a law against terrorism.

The RTC said that based on the evidence presented, the accused and their cohorts were “complicit” in the kidnapping of the hostages to extort ransom money from them or their families and the government.

It also found that the alibis of the accused were not supported by any reliable evidence and gave credence to the positive identification and consistent testimony of the prosecution’s witnesses.

The court gave credence to prosecution witnesses, which include Roland Ullah, Ken Fong Yen and Abdul Jawad Bin Sulawat to prove conspiracy among the accused.

Ullah testified that he was held captive by the accused for three years from 2000 until he was able to escape in 2003.

He identified some of the accused as among those who helped in detaining the Sipadan hostages.

Meanwhile, Ken said he was with Ullah when they were kidnapped from the resort in Malaysia and claimed that he was held captive for four months when he was heavily guarded by the accused all the time, even if they have to answer nature’s call.

Sulawat also said he was with Ken during the kidnapping incident and was held captive for 83 days.

He identified some of the accused as their captors.

The prosecution also presented two former bandit members – Omar Pael and Julhasre Abtahi – as witnesses, who admitted their participation in the Sidapan incident by acting as lookout for the hostages.

Pael and Abtahi, however, denied involvement in the actual kidnapping of the 21 victims.

“From the foregoing, it is evident that the kidnappers, the herein accused, acted in concert in kidnapping and detaining the hostages,” the court ruling read.

“While others took active participation in the taking of the victims, while others detained and guarded their actions, demonstrated a carefully laid out plan to execute the crimes charged,” it added.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla lauded Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Hazel Decena-Valdez for her “perseverance and hard work,” which led to the conviction of the notorious terrorists.

“Your devotion, courage and relentless efforts to pursue justice by all means are truly astonishing. Thank you for being a testament that justice will never be denied, regardless of who or how strong the enemy may seem. Your resilience has indeed withstood the forces of terror and oppression which serve as an inspiration to us all,” Remulla said.