2 detained Pharmally execs beg to be released, ask for house arrest

(FILE) Detained Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation officials Mohit Dargani (left) and Linconn Ong.

MANILA, Philippines— Two detained Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation officials are begging for “mercy and compassion” as they asked the Senate blue ribbon committee to order their release and place them under house arrest on humanitarian considerations.

The request for release and house arrest of Pharmally director Linconn Ong and corporate secretary and treasurer Mohit Dargani was contained in separate “reiterative motions” filed before the committee last March 22 by their lawyer Donn Rico Kapunan.

Ong and Dargani have been detained at the Pasay City Jail since November last year after they failed to produce Pharmally’s financial documents in connection with the committee’s probe on the government’s alleged anomalous deal with the company.

“Inasmuch as Mr. Ong is cognizant of the power of Congress to cite people in contempt, he posits that the same ought to rest more on the preservative than on the punitive side, and that a balance must be struck between the awesome power of Congress and his right to individual liberty as guaranteed under the Constitution,” read Ong’s motion.

“Regardless of such, Mr. Ong had already suffered immensely because of his incarceration at the pitiful Pasay City Jail along with common criminals for a more than four (4) months to date without the benefit of a court trial, as well as being separated from his wife and child for the same period.”

“It is in this light that Mr. Ong now pleads for mercy and compassion from the Honorable Members of this Committee to kindly allow him to be released forthwith and/or undergo house arrest for him to be able to be with his family,” the motion further read.

On the part of Dargani, his lawyer lamented that his continued detention had already caused his family “immeasurable suffering.”

“Despite the fact that the denial of his most precious right to liberty was brought about by the Senate’s exercise of contempt powers (not through a judgment from the Courts), Mohit and his family had already been unfairly condemned by the public as ‘thieves,’ ‘liars’ and ‘plunderers’ without trial,” read the separate motion.

According to his lawyer, Dargani’s “unfortunate circumstance had also brought forth a grave amount of shame and humiliation” to his family.

“To this, undersigned counsel begs for this Honorable Committee’s humanity and compassion not to allow any more suffering than necessary in the exercise of its immense powers,” the motion read.

“Mohit now truly understands and recognizes the majesty of the Senate as a co-equal branch of the Government to which he sincerely apologizes for any misgivings he had brought about to the Committee.”

Dargani’s lawyer promised that he would not “anymore engage in any actions that will be deemed contumacious by this Committee…”

Their lawyer also assured that Ong and Dargani will attend and cooperate in the Senate probe, which has already released its draft report on its investigation.

The office of Senator Richard Gordon who is the chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee has confirmed receiving the documents sent by Dargani and Ong through their lawyer but has yet to verify the contents.

/MUF