MANILA, Philippines — Businessman Dennis Sytin on Monday appeared before the Department of Justice (DOJ) to answer the accusation that he has a hand in the killing of his older brother Dominic in November last year.
In his 51-page counter-affidavit, Sytin described the gunman, Ernesto Luib, as a “polluted source” and warned authorities to view his statement with “the greatest caution and circumspection.”
He added that Luib is “motivated by self-preservation.”
The younger Sytin denied meeting Luib and his employee, Oliver Fuentes, to discuss the murder of his brother.
“It is a brazen lie for Luib or anyone to claim that I was introduced to Luib at the All Hands beach by Oliver Fuentes or anyone and that during the occasion I told him to kill my brother,” he said.
“I swear before God and those I love and before this Honorable Panel that I never intended or planned to kill or to have my brother killed,” he said.
Despite their differences, he said Dominic is still his brother.
“My differences with him since August 2015 when he fired me from United Auctioneers Incorporated I had accepted for years without incident. There was nothing that transpired in 2016, 2017, and 2018 that would have induced me to kill or have him killed,” he added.
Luib was arrested in Batangas last March 5 and issued an extrajudicial confession identifying Dennis as the one who ordered the hit against his brother. He also tagged Fuentes in the killing.
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Dennis Sytin denies hand in death of his brother
The younger Sytin said Fuentes was Dominic’s trusted man since 2001 and that it was his brother who helped Fuentes change his name from Ryan Rementilla to Oliver Fuentes.
“A fact which I came to know only when it was reported in the news after the death of Dominic,” Dennis said, adding that Fuentes has a pending murder case.
Dominic who was the chief executive officer of UAI was killed in front of the Lighthouse Hotel in Subic last November 2018. He also has other businesses such as United Holdings Power Corporation, which is into renewable energy.
His driver Efren Espartero was wounded when he tried to fight back.
READ: Sytin; 51: Subic Hotel attack kills tycoon in the making
In his counter-affidavit, Dennis also cited the negative finding of the polygraph test or lie detector test conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation on him last January 16.
“After answering all their questions, the NBI found me negative for any participation or involvement in the killing of my brother and even specifically found that I had no specific reaction indicative of deception to questions asked relative to the investigation on the death of Dominic Sytin,” he added.
He said the evidence pointed to Luib as the mastermind of the killing. Fuentes is expected to appear in the next hearing of the case on April 15. /ee