Panama official accused of rape leaves Phl

MANILA, Philippines - Panamanian maritime official Erick Bairnals Shcks left the country last night for Amsterdam, leaving behind a controversy in which he reportedly raped a Filipina teenager.

Shcks went to Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 to board a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight for Amsterdam via Taipei.

The Bureau of Immigration said there is no reason to prevent Shcks from leaving the country since his name has not been included in the BI’s watchlist.

“No order was received to include (Shcks) in (the) derogatory (file) of the BI,” spokeswoman Ma. Antonette Mangrobang said in a text message.

The BI is one of the attached agencies of the Department of Justice, which earlier announced that Shcks – a technical officer of the Panama Marine Authority – has full diplomatic immunity.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III criticized yesterday Justice Secretary Leila de Lima for defending the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) decision to give Shcks diplomatic immunity despite the complaint against him.

“De Lima should read the Vienna Convention provisions first before she issues statements detrimental to the country. She is dead wrong,” Sotto said in a text message to The Star.

Sotto said he suspects that some influential people could be behind Shcks’ release.  “It (immunity under Vienna Convention) is not absolute,” he said.

Senate foreign relations committee chairwoman Sen. Loren Legarda said she will pursue her probe of Shcks’ release from detention. “(I will still) hold a Senate investigation and hear all sides. (The) Vienna Convention is not all encompassing,” Legarda told The Star yesterday.

Legarda said the DFA and the DOJ should explain why they have given Shcks “diplomatic immunity outside of the official tasks.” – Rudy Santos, Evelyn Macairan, Christina Mendez