PDEA chief sees weak case filed by CIDG vs Albayalde
MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief Gen. Aaron Aquino on Monday raised doubts that the criminal case filed by the Philippine National Police – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) against Gen. Oscar Albayalde might be weak and eventually be dismissed.
Aquino said this might be the scenario, echoing the same pronouncement of former CIDG director and now Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who earlier said that building a case against someone normally takes some time.
“Si Gen. Magalong ay galing sa CIDG and he knows very well kung malakas or hindi, so most probably mahina nga (Gen. Magalong was from the CIDG and he knows very well if the case is strong or not, so most probably it is weak),” he said in an interview with CNN Philippines’ The Source.
Citing this possibility, Aquino then urged the PNP to strengthen the case against its former chief.
“Maybe the new CIDG could do something on the case para mas mapalakas (to strengthen it). Nai-file naman na eh. Hindi pa naman late para mapalakas pa ulit ‘yung kaso (It was already filed anyway. It is not yet late to strengthen the case),” he said.
He said the top investigating unit of the PNP can file another case against Albayalde and present additional evidence if required.
Currently, Albayalde is facing a complaint for violation of the Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 for misappropriation, misapplication or failure to account for the confiscated, seized and/or surrendered dangerous drugs.
READ: PNP-CIDG files criminal charges vs Albayalde
The complaint stemmed from the alleged drug recycling in Pampanga in 2013 when Albayalde was its provincial police director. Albayalde was accused of intervening in the dismissal order against 13 policemen involved in the operation. He denied this allegation, but this led him to opt for non-duty status weeks before his retirement, vacating his post as PNP chief.
It was Aquino who revealed during a Senate hearing that Albayalde phoned him sometime in 2014 to not yet implement the dismissal order against the policemen. Aquino was the Central Luzon police chief at the time.
