NBI to pursue probe on KFR suspect’s flight

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has assured kidnap victim Jackie Rowena Tiu that even after filing appropriate charges against officials and employees of the Bureau of Immigration (BI), it will continue the investigation into the deportation of suspect Zhang Du.

NBI regional director Reynaldo Esmeralda, chief of the NBI-Special Task Force, said they will pursue a probe on the alleged irregularities committed following reports that apart from the Zhang case, there have been other detainees who had "escaped" with the help of BI personnel.

Tiu, in an earlier interview, said that while she was grateful for the filing of charges against six officials and employees, including BI intelligence division chief Faizal Hussin, she said other top officials should have been included in the charge sheet.

Esmeralda assured her that there would be "no sacred cows in the continuing probe."

"We do not care who is included in the list of respondents for as long as we have evidence to back up the filing of charges against them," he said.

He said BI Commissioner Alipio Fernandez Jr. was not included because their findings were based on evidence at hand, which did not show that he was directly involved in the irregularity.

Esmeralda said that while one of the respondents, Superintendent Wendy Garcia Rosario, former acting chief of the BI Civil Security Unit, was close to Fernandez, this was not enough to implicate the latter. When Fernandez was appointed to the BI, he reportedly brought with him Rosario, who was his police chief in Dagupan, Pangasinan.

"We cannot implicate the higher ups just because of mere friendship or association," he explained.

He said it was not Fernandez who issued the deportation order against the 35-year-old Zhang.

Implicated with Hussin and Rosario were Senior Inspector Noel Campos Espinosa, former acting warden of BI-Bicutan Detention Center (BDC); contractual confidential agent Alex Pinon Bolado; former confidential agent Joselito Mati Pagaduan and immigration officer Allan Reyes, assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

They were charged for violating provisions of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, falsification of public documents, obstruction of apprehension and prosecution of criminal offenders, and conniving with or consenting to evasion.

One of the BI jail guards has turned state witness.

Meanwhile, Fernandez has welcomed the findings of the NBI probe on the Zhang deportation, saying it is now up to the Office of the Ombudsman to decide on the case.

"We will let the case take its due course. We will face the charges and we will leave it up to the Ombudsman to decide," the BI chief said in an interview.

Fernandez said they have submitted to the Ombudsman the findings of their own investigation, which led to the relief of all officials and agents involved, except Hussin.

The BI chief said it is only the Ombudsman who can decide if filing of criminal charges against the officials will be necessary. – With Edu Punay