ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—Police authorities have filed charges against three Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels and several John Does linked to the kidnapping of Irish missionary priest Michael Sinnott.
Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Verzosa said charges of kidnapping with serious illegal detention were filed against Saidamen Montańer alias Alick, James Palwa and a certain Jimboy at the Pagadian City prosecutor’s office on Friday.
Senior Superintendent Edwin Diocos, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Western Mindanao, said the suspects “had been identified as responsible for taking the priest from the Columban residence” on October 11.
“We have strong evidence against them and we have witnesses,” he said.
“We’ve filed charges against the three identified MILF personalities and several other John Does for kidnapping with serious illegal detention, and investigations are still continuing and we have summoned several other personalities and sent formal invitation to Fr. Sinnott for his statement,” Verzosa said.
Verzosa came here Saturday to grace the first anniversary of the Western Mindanao Directorate for Integrated Police Operations.
He said six other MILF personalities linked to the Sinnott kidnapping have not been charged yet pending further investigation.
They are MILF 113rd Base Command chief Salip Aloy Alsree, Nasser Macabato, Imam Abubakar, Waning Abdusalam, Latip Jamat and Putot Jakaria.
Abdusalam has a standing warrant of arrest against him for the 2007 kidnapping of Italian missionary priest Giancarlo Bossi, while Alsree has been crediterd by the MILF for his role in last Thursday’s release of the Irish missionary.
“These earlier suspects were already summoned for further investigation,” Verzosa said. He quickly added that the six other MILF personalities were not yet free of the charges.
Diocos said an "invitation" to the six was sent out on November 11 “and they were expected to appear before the Pagadian City police office on November 19 to shed light on the incident and clear their names.”
Diocos said the authorities were confident that the cases against the MILF members would hold in court because of mounting evidence.
He said the police were also confident that Sinnott “will cooperate.”
He said the CIDG in Manila will secure Sinnott’s statement.
