QC prosecutors office inhibits from case of prosecutor in sex video scandal
MANILA, Philippines—The Quezon City Prosecutors Office inhibited from handling the criminal case filed against a prosecutor who figured in a sex video with a woman lawyer.
Prosecutor General Claro Arellano confirmed that the Department of Justice received the records of the case from the Quezon City Prosecutors Office.
“Nakausap ko si Chief City Prosecutor Donald Lee, ang sabi nya finorward na sa amin yung kaso (I talked with Chief City Prosecutor Donald Lee and he said he forwarded the case to us). They will inhibit because the prosecutor is their colleague,” Arellano told reporters Wednesday.
DOJ records showed that the prosecutor filed a case for violation of Republic Act 9995 or the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009 against his wife for causing the publication or broadcasting of the private video.
On the other hand, the wife filed a case for grave slander, grave threat, grave coercion and violation of the Violence Against Women and Children Act for causing her emotional abuse brought about by her husband’s alleged infidelity.
Initial information that has reached the DOJ revealed that the alleged sex video was taken last year, when the state prosecutor was still not part of the DOJ family. He only became a state prosecutor last October. His female partner is already in the US.
Arellano assured the public that the complaint against the prosecutor will be decided based on its merits alone.
“Walang magiging white wash dito. Pag may kasalanan ang prosecutor namin, pafilan namin siya ng kaso. Basta palaging magiging meritorious ang pag-eevaluate namin dito sa kaso. Hindi porket prosecutor namin, ililibre namin,” Arellano said.
(There will be no white wash. If our prosecutor committed abuse, we will file a case against him. We will make sure that our evaluation of this case will be meritorious. Even if he’s our prosecutor, it doesn’t mean he will be off the hook.)
Arellano said the incident has cast a negative image on public prosecutors.
