NBI agents, cops, witnesses cleared of criminal charges

CEBU, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas has dismissed the criminal and administrative complaints filed by members of the Highway Patrol Group linked in the ambush of lawyer Noel Archival against the agents of the National Bureau of Investigation, police officers and private individuals.

Graft investigation and prosecution officer Amy Rose Soler-Rellin said the anti-graft office is not the proper body to determine whether or not the evidence against the complainants is fabricated.

Senior Superintendent Romualdo Iglesia, Chief Inspector Edurdo Mara, Senior Inspector Joselito Lerion, SPO4 Edwin Galan and PO1 Alex Bacani accused the NBI agents of conniving with some police officers and private individuals in fabricating evidence to implicate them in the killing of Archival and two of his companions last year. 

Named respondents were NBI agents Rennan Augustus Oliva, Jose Ermie Monsanto, Edgardo Baldemos, Larry Dominguez and Teodoro Saavedra; SPO1 Reynaldo Solante and PO3 Norman Anos; and private individuals Paolo Cortes, Joel Balingcasag, Adrian Gulfan and Junel Gumahay.

The complainants alleged that the respondents fabricated evidence to support their application of a search warrant against them.

But the anti-graft office said the alleged fabricated evidence are already in the custody of the court where three of the complainants, Iglesia, Lerion, and Bacani, were indicted in the killing of Archival and his companions.

“Rather than instituting the present case, issues on the veracity, soundness or integrity of said pieces of evidence are matters for defense which are deemed appropriate to be presented by the accused in the pending criminal case against them,” the decision read.

The complainants said the respondents maliciously obtained the search warrant against them.

The NBI-7 filed a criminal case for multiple murder and frustrated murder against Iglesia, Lerion and Bacani. They were accused in the killing of Archival, his driver Alejandro Jayme, and his bodyguard Candido Miñoza on February 18, 2014 in Barangay Coro, Dalaguete, Cebu.

Two of the complainants, Mara and Galan, were exonerated from the case for lack of evidence against them. (FREEMAN)