MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Vice President has clarified that it has yet to receive any subpoena or document from the Department of Justice (DOJ) about sedition complaints against Vice President Leni Robredo.
“As of now I’d just like to officially say na wala pa kaming natatanggap kahit na anong communication from DOJ,” Robredo’s spokesperson lawyer Barry Gutierrez said in a press conference on Thursday.
“No subpoena, no copy of the affidavit, so we don’t know any of the specifics as to how and why the Vice President was included in the referral of PNP,” he added.
However, Gutierrez assured that Robredo’s legal team is gearing up to answer the allegations against her, though he did not reveal who was part of the Vice President’s legal team.
“Obviously this is something that we’ve been monitoring, we’ve already consulted with a few lawyers although I’m not yet at liberty to say sino ‘yong officially mag-represent kay VP Leni for the preliminary investigation,” he explained.
“We expect if the subpoena will be given next week, we’ll have our legal team review it,” he added. “If the only basis for this particular referral is ‘yong affidavit ni Peter Advincula, this is a clear case of harassment.”
He also revealed that they have not talked with the legal teams of other respondents in the case, although they are anticipating some sort of cooperation between the several camps.
Robredo was implicated by Advincula, who claims to be the hooded man Bikoy, in a so-called Project Sodoma — an alleged attempt to overthrow President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.
Advincula said that the Ang Totoong Narcolist series, where Duterte’s relatives and close allies were allegedly implicated in the drug trade, was masterminded by the opposition.
Recently, the Philippine National Police (PNP) Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) filed sedition raps against Robredo, former senators, former political candidates, legal minds, and the church.
But despite not having any basis to mount their defense, Gutierrez assured that Robredo will be ready to face the case, and even attend if the court requires her.
“But definitely, the Vice President is ready to face whatever trumped-up charges ang mailalagay sa kaniya. Her legal team is already in place and we will take the appropriate steps at the right time,” Gutierrez noted.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she does that (appear in court). If you’ll recall, sa lahat naman ng mga legal processes that the Vice President has been involved in, such as the protest, when she has been required to be present, she goes, ‘di ba? Wala namang special treatment na ine-expect si VP,” he added. /je
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