MANILA, Philippines – A policeman accused in the Maguindanao massacre was dropped from the charge sheet after the judge hearing the murder case found no probable cause to charge him in court.
Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 dismissed the charges against Police Officer 1 Johann Draper, a member of the Maguindanao police force.
In the same order, Solis-Reyes affirmed the indictment of six other policemen, including a colonel, who also asked for a judicial determination of probable cause.
A total of 196 people now remain charged in the case, among them Andal Ampatuan Sr. and his son, Andal Jr.
In his motion for judicial determination of probable cause, Draper said no evidence supports his indictment.
Solis-Reyes said Draper’s mere association with one of the accused in the murder case will not suffice to indict him.
She set on July 28 at 9 a.m. at Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig the arraignment of Superintendent Abdulwahid Pedtucasan, Chief Inspector Sukarno Dicay, Senior Inspector Abdul Gapor Abad, Police Officer 3 Rasid Anton and Police Officers 1 Michael Macarongon and Mohammad Balading.
“The probability that accused… had conspired with other accused for the purpose of committing the crime of murder cannot be ruled out at this stage considering that they had either caused the deployment of additional troops to conduct checkpoints/ road security or manned the same before or on the fateful day of the commission of multiple murder,” she said.
“The court is of the view that the presence of the checkpoints and road security coupled with the inaction of accused-movants had facilitated the victims’ abduction where they were brought to a hilly portion of Sitio Malatig, Barangay Salman and subsequently killed,” Solis-Reyes added.