“Ambush victim” now faces illegal charges

CEBU, Philippines - The masiao financier who was reportedly ambushed recently is now facing an illegal drug possession case after the Cebu City Police Office filed the charge against him yesterday.

Chief Insp. Romeo Santander, who heads CCPO’s City Intelligence Branch, said charges for violation of Section 11 and 12, or possessing illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia, of the Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act was filed against Edgar Ho Lim.

“Actually, we had a case conference with the Homicide Section and the Crime Laboratory (yesterday) and we decided to file a case against Lim,” said Santan-der.

Santander disclosed that the PNP Crime Laboratory 7 examination showed that the two packs of white crystalline substance the police found inside Lim’s car were indeed shabu.

Lim, 49, is still recuperating at the hospital owing to gunshot wounds in his stomach and right side of the face.

Santander said they have not yet identified the assailant who ambushed Lim while the latter was driving his BMW car at the South Road Properties last Thursday afternoon. Lim and his family are not cooperative, making the police investigation  difficult.

“Dili mu-cooperate ang victim. We’ve tried many times na mukontak niya, di makontak. From the desk of  the hospital, di na mi ka-proceed sa sulod. (The victim refuses to cooperate. We tried many times to contact him but we can’t. We also can’t get inside the hospital),” the CIB chief shared.

In fact, Santander further said, Lim, through his legal counsel lawyer Noel Archival, filed a waiver and took his car back which bore two gunshot holes.

Santander said they are still eyeing illegal gambling as the most possible motive behind the attack on Lim, whom the CIB has just arrested last February together with 26 other people who were caught engaged in illegal gambling.

 â€œWe’re looking for (illegal gambling) personalities nga na-link sa iyaha, (…linked to him),” the CIB chief said.

Earlier, Lim’s camp, through lawyer Archival, commented that CCPO’s investigation on the case is leading to tagging his client as the suspect.

He also claimed that Lim does not use illegal drugs.

“Naa man sad gyu’y evidence na-recover na mu-substantiate sad sa filing of charges. (We recovered evidence that will substantiate the filing of charges),” Santander said in response. — (FREEMAN)