DOJ chief faces fresh raps over Alice Guo arrest

National

JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has been hit with a new complaint for arbitrary detention and graft in connection with the arrest of former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo and businesswoman Cassandra Ong, who were both linked to alleged illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) operations.

Remulla and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Jaime Santiago were named as respondents in the case filed by lawyer Ferdinand Topacio before the Office of the Ombudsman, a report by Philstar said.

Topacio alleged that the two ordered the warrantless arrest and detention of Guo and Ong on August 22 at the NBI headquarters in Manila.

Topacio argued that agents had no personal knowledge of any crime and did not catch the two in the act of committing an offense. He added that the arrests, initially tied to supposed violations of the Passport Law and obstruction of justice, lacked a valid legal basis.

According to his complaint, Santiago admitted he acted on Remulla’s instructions.

The lawyer also accused Remulla and Santiago of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, saying their actions caused undue injury and deprived Guo and Ong of liberty “with manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence.”

The filing came the same day Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte lodged kidnapping and detention charges against Remulla and other officials over the arrest of his father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, on orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Remulla has brushed off the complaints, calling them part of an “organized effort” to block his bid for the Ombudsman post.(Xienderlyn Trinidad, USJ-R Comm Intern)