Extradition of Lacson aide looms

MANILA, Philippines—There being no more legal impediments, Michael Ray Aquino, the ex-police officer who is a suspect in the Dacer-Corbito double murder, may be extradited from the United States “in a few weeks,” Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Thursday.

De Lima said she was only waiting for a formal written note from the US Department of Justice that would inform the Philippine government “that the extradition process has been completed.”

According to De Lima, the justice department had received advance information from the US that there was no longer any legal impediment to Aquino’s immediate extradition.

“But it is the US Department of Justice which would know whether indeed the entire process has been completed based on their laws,” she said.

Once that official confirmation is made, it will mean US authorities are ready to extradite Aquino and the Philippine government can send a representative to the US to coordinate the extradition.

Dacer-Corbito accused

“We have to pick him up because he’s an accused in our country. There is a case pending where he is one of the accused and his extradition should be properly implemented to ensure that he would be physically brought back here,” De Lima said.

According to De Lima, the US Court of Appeals has affirmed a US district court decision allowing Aquino’s extradition to the Philippines to face charges in connection with the 2000 murders of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver, Emmanuel Corbito.

Aquino, who fled to the US with his family, has been detained in a US jail since 2007 after pleading guilty to espionage. He admitted to having passed official and confidential US documents to Filipino politicians as part of a plot to overthrow the government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Aquino was a close aide of Sen. Panfilo Lacson when the latter headed the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) and the Philippine National Police.

No evidence vs Lacson

Lacson has also been implicated in the Dacer-Corbito murders. He only recently emerged after hiding out for more than a year to escape arrest. He came out after the Court of Appeals ruled that there was not enough evidence to indict him for the murders.

The justice secretary said the DoJ has been waiting for Aquino’s extradition for it to conduct a reinvestigation of the Dacer-Corbito murders. The reinvestigation will focus primarily on Lacson’s alleged involvement.

“We are evaluating all of their statements especially because of the rejection [by the Court of Appeals] of the statement of [former police officer and Aquino colleague] Cezar Mancao. We have been evaluating the statements and we are curious to know, to find out whether there would be changes, modifications in the initial statements, that they have produced before,” De Lima said.

Michael Ray’s story

“In fact, we don’t even know yet Michael Ray’s full story. What exactly is his own version of the story,” she said.

De Lima expects Aquino to deny any involvement in the double murders. She also doubted Aquino could or would turn state witness.

When he arrives in the country, Aquino will be detained in a “regular jail facility” unless a court orders that he be held in another facility, she said.

Asked about possible threats to Aquino’s security in the country, De Lima said there was “no definite information on that matter” but that authorities were not ruling it out.

“There is always a presumed security threat when we talk about high-profile personalities or high-profile accused,” she said.