Marine questions continued detention over Estrada CDs

Military prosecutors will decide after the Holy Week whether a Marine officer, who has been detained since 2006, should face court martial for distributing compact disks about the life of ousted President Joseph Estrada more than a year ago.

Marine 1Lt. Artemio Raymundo has asked the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Office (JAGO) to dismiss the charges against him and release him from the Marine custodial center at the Bonifacio Naval Station in Taguig.

Raymundo’s lawyer Romel Bagares said Capt. Christopher Ciubal of the Navy JAGO assured them that they will conclude the pre-trial investigation.

“We pointed out to Captain Ciubal… that it is only now that the JAGO is holding a pre-trial investigation on our client’s case, after nearly a year and a half that he has been detained,” Bagares said.

Raymundo said in his counter affidavit that he has been confined for more than one year now, when the charges against him – particularly Articles of War 97 and 64 – carry a maximum punishment of six months of confinement at hard labor.

“I have been detained at the Philippine Marines without trial since my arrest on Sept. 26, 2006 on dubious charges under the Articles of War (AW),” he said.

Raymundo was also charged for violating AW 96. – James Mananghaya