Man who linked 2 Cebu traders to drugs found dead

CEBU CITY—A man who had testified in Congress linking two businessmen to the illegal drug trade was found dead Thursday inside his home in Naya Subdivision, Barangay (village) Tangke, Talisay City.

The body of Bernard Liu was already decomposing when found by policemen at the back of his house past 11 a.m., said Chief Inspector Eddie Recamara, Talisay police chief.

The victim was found lying on his back with a nylon cord tied around his neck. Recamara said the victim may had been dead for at least five days.

Investigators were still determining the actual cause of death and whether Liu committed suicide or was killed.

Alex Manabat, a civilian employee at the Talisay City police station, said a village watchman, George Parages, sought police assistance after the neighbors complained about the foul odor coming from the house of Liu, who lived alone.

Liu, along with Ananias Dy, faced an October 2001 congressional inquiry in which they linked their former bosses, brothers Peter and Wellington Lim, to the drug trade.

The Lim brothers were eventually cleared of the allegations. The two retaliated by filing libel charges against their accusers.

They also sued Liu and Dy for violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act, citing their admission at the congressional hearing that they were able to smuggle drugs into the country from Hong Kong by hiding the contraband in a golf bag.

The court issued an arrest warrant against Liu and Dy in connection with the drug charges. The two went into hiding, but Liu later surrendered but was later released after the court threw out the drug case. The libel case was also dismissed.

In July 2006, Dy was shot dead by two unidentified men at the corner of Salvador and Katipunan Streets in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City.

Originally posted at 11:00 pm | Thursday, September 29, 2011