Sandiganbayan won’t junk case vs ex-PNP chief | Inquirer News

Sandiganbayan won’t junk case vs ex-PNP chief

/ 05:14 AM July 17, 2019

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan Sixth Division has denied the bid of former Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima to have his graft case dismissed, ruling that the prosecution’s initial evidence in the case was strong.

Purisima faces a graft charge in relation to an allegedly anomalous courier deal between the PNP and WerFast Documentation Agency Inc. in 2011.

In a three-page resolution, the antigraft court denied Purisima’s motion for leave of court to file demurrer to evidence. “After carefully reviewing the accused’s respective motions and the prosecution’s evidence, this court resolves to deny the respective motions of the accused,” the court said.

Article continues after this advertisement

Purisima earlier sought the court’s permission to file a demurrer — asking it to evaluate the evidence presented by the prosecution, to determine if there was enough basis to proceed.

FEATURED STORIES

A granted demurrer is tantamount to dismissal of the case.

Since the leave of court to file a demurrer was denied, trial is expected to continue, with Purisima presenting his evidence.

Article continues after this advertisement

Conversely, Purisima can also file a demurrer without leave of court. However, if the demurrer is denied, Purisima loses his chance to present evidence, and will be declared guilty.

Article continues after this advertisement

Purisima’s case originated in 2011, when he and 16 others allegedly acted with partiality, bad faith and negligence when they awarded a courier contract to WerFast for a gun courier deal.

According to the prosecution, Purisima accredited Werfast as the PNP’s courier service provider for all the firearms license applications despite its failure to comply with government regulations on courier services.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

TAGS: graft case, PNP‎, Sandiganbayan

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.