THE marshal of the justice department’s Witness Protection Program (WPP) who is accused of raping a 21-year-old woman under the Witness Protection Program yesterday sought the inhibition of all Cebu prosecutors from handling the case filed against him.
His lawyer Noel Archival said they want to avoid having the prosecutors being perceived as biased toward the rape suspect.
“It should be pointed out that the respondent was formerly assigned at the WPP as an escort of the DOJ. In the course of his employment, he had dealt with prosecutors whenever the witnesses were brought before the court,” said Archival.
“We want to erase the burden on the part of prosecutors in Cebu. I know the case against my client will be dropped. I just want to avoid any suspicion in the process. I think that would be fair for both parties,” he said.
Archival requested the Cebu City Prosecutors’ Office to transmit the entire records of the case to Justice Secretary Leila De Lima for her action.
His client Romel Pabroa was accused of raping a woman who stayed in the DOJ safehouse in barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City.
The woman was herself a rape victim when she was placed under the government witness protection program.The latest rape charges case against Pabroa was assigned to Assistant City Prosecutor Ruso Zaragoza.