Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra. (File photo by Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — Securing the testimonies of key witnesses in the 2013 drug sting in Pampanga should be done by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Wednesday.
“Perpetuating testimony entails the filing of a petition in court seeking to obtain the deposition of a material witness before a case is actually filed in court. In the context of the DOJ [Department of Justice] reinvestigation of the so-called ninja cops involved in the Pampanga raid in 2013, the proper party to file such a petition at this time is the complainant CIDG,” Guevarra said.
Earlier, Sen. Richard Gordon said it would be important to secure the testimonies of the three Pampanga police officers and barangay officials who were first to get a hold of suspected drug trafficker Johnson Lee who was allegedly released after paying a bribe of P50 million.
Gordon said perpetuating the testimonies of the witnesses would mean going to court and executing the affidavit there.
READ: Gordon asks DOJ to ‘perpetuate’ testimonies of ‘ninja cops’ probe witnesses
“Perpetuating testimony entails the filing of a petition in court seeking to obtain the deposition of a material witness before a case is actually filed in court. In the context of the DOJ (Department of Justice) reinvestigation of the so-called ninja cops involved in the Pampanga raid in 2013, the proper party to file such a petition at this time is the complainant CIDG,” Guevarra explained.
He said that if the DOJ, in its reinvestigation, would find probable cause against the police officers, the DOJ would consider all manner of preserving and perpetuating the testimony of the prosecution’s witnesses, including depositions before or pending action.”
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