2 tagged as slay brains deny allegations

COTABATO CITY — A former Region 12 director and the incumbent regional budget officer of the Department of Agriculture (DA) have both denied allegations that they masterminded the March 24 killing of Sultan Kudarat newspaper columnist Marlene Esperat.

Sumail Sekak, former regional director, and Hadji Osmeña Montañer, regional budget officer, told Catholic radio station dxMS here in separate interviews, that they are innocent of the allegations.

Sekak and Montañer were reacting to the pronouncements of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Reynaldo Wycoco and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales alluding to their alleged role in the Esperat gunslaying.

Esperat, a hard-hitting columnist of the Midland Review, was gunned down in her home in Tacurong City on Maundy Thursday.

Sekak and Montañer both claimed not having harbored any ill-feelings toward Esperat who, besides criticizing them in her newspaper columns for allegedly mismanaging their respective offices, had also filed graft cases against them.

"All of the cases she filed against us were dismissed so there was no reason for us to begrudge her," Montañer told dxMS.

Sekak said there could be "third parties" unduly linking innocent people to the Esperat killing to confuse investigators going after the real masterminds.

Police have arrested four suspects, including the alleged gunman and lookout.