Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrileand Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS
MANILA, Philippines – Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has formally requested the Department of Justice to order a probe on Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile for his alleged crimes committed under the Penal Code.
“This is to respectfully appeal for you to order the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) to investigate Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, for crimes under the Penal Code,” Santiago said in her letter to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Thursday.
“In due course, the NBI report could indicate if further action should be taken against Enrile by other concerned agencies, such as the Commission on Human Rights, Ombudsman, Pagcor, BIR, etc.,” she said.
Pagcor is Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation while BIR is Bureau of Internal Revenue.
In a privilege speech Wednesday, Santiago said Enrile should be held liable for the death and disappearance of some 4,000 people during martial law; for allegedly running smuggling and gambling empires in the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA); for running an illegal logging empire during martial law; and for masterminding the “biggest” plunder case in Philippine history when he allegedly received a total of P1.189 billion “pork barrel” funds from 2005 to 2013.
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