Suspended PNP chief Purisima never left PH, says counsel

PNP Director General Alan Purisima. AP FILE PHOTO

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines–The Saipan rumors are not true. Suspended Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima never left the country, according to his legal counsel.

In a text message to INQUIRER.net Monday, lawyer Kristoffer James Purisima refuted reports that Purisima flew to Saipan for a Masonic conference amid the Mamasapano debacle allegedly involving him.

“Police Director General Alan Purisima did not leave the country, contrary to media reports. In fact, he has never left the Philippines since returning on December 5 from his official trip to Saudi Arabia,” the lawyer said in a text message.

In a separate text message, Bureau of Immigration spokesperson Elaine Tan confirmed that Purisima is still in the country as per travel records.

Purisima was suspended in December last year pending the investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman on corruption allegations against him.

The center of the investigation is the questionable reconstruction of his “White House” residence inside Camp Crame and his shady deal worth P100 million with a courier service firm delivering firearms licenses.

Barely recovering from corruption charges filed against him, the suspended PNP chief’s name was dragged into the January 25 covert operation that killed 44 elite policemen of the PNP Special Action Force during what authorities tagged as a “misencounter” with Muslim rebels in Maguindanao.

Some police officials privy to the operation pointed to Purisima and President Benigno Aquino III as the officials behind the planning of the “sensitive mission” to arrest two Jemaah Islamiyah terrorists.

Purisima then was asked by the Senate to attend the hearing on the bungled operation originally scheduled on Wednesday (Feb. 4) but which has since been moved to Feb. 9-10.

His lawyer, in a separate text message, said: “Purisima will definitely attend the Senate hearing, where he will testify on what he knows about the Mamasapano operation.”

The hearing was moved to next week as per the request of PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina. With a report from Tetch Torres-Tupas

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