Nancy Binay wants probe into delisting of Delfin Lee from wanted list
Senator Nancy Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Nancy Binay wants the Senate to look into the conflicting statements about Delfin Lee’s alleged delisting from the “Most Wanted Persons List.”
Lee, who is facing syndicated estafa charges for a P6.6 billion housing controversy, was nabbed last March 6 at the Hyatt Hotel in Malate, Manila after evading arrest for two years. He is now detained at the Pampanga provincial jail.
“While the arrest of Delfin Lee after two years of evading the authorities was a welcome respite to the victims of the P6.6 billion housing controversy, what is worrisome is that the camp of the accused is now questioning the validity of the arrest,” Binay said in a statement on Thursday.
“Nakakabahala po ang liham mula kay PNP Chief Alan Purisima na nagsasabing si Delfin Lee ay aalisin na sa listahan ng mga taong pinaghahanap ng mga alagad ng batas, pati na rin po ang sertipikasyong nagpapatunay na ang arrest warrant kay Delfin Lee ay tinanggal na sa Warrant of Arrest database noong nakalipas na taon,” she said.
(A letter from PNP Chief Alan Purisima saying Delfin Lee will be removed from the wanted list and a certification that the arrest warrant against Delfin Lee was already removed from the Warrant of Arrest database last year is worrisome)
Binay then filed Senate Resolution No. 567, directing the appropriate committees to inquire into the alleged removal of Lee’s name from the list as well as the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group’s (CIDG) issuance of a certification of the Globe Asiatique president’s removal from the list of the Warrant of Arrest database.
The senator believes there is still need to look into the issue despite Local Government Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II’ clarification that the arrest warrant against Lee was valid as well as Justice Secretary Leila de Lima’s statement that the CIDG certification was an “honest mistake.”
“The issue here is the presence of this letter from PNP Chief Alan Purisima and the certification from the CIDG which are being used by the camp of Delfin Lee to question his arrest,” Binay said.
“We need to review the existing policies and laws governing the inclusion and removal of a person’s name from the warrant of arrest database and the most wanted persons list in order to prevent lapses in the procedure which can be used to circumvent the law and legal processes,” she added.
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