Not guilty, Purisima pleads in SAF 44 case

Former national police chief Alan Purisima. RAFFY LERMA/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Dismissed Philippine National Police Director General Alan Purisima pleaded not guilty to unlawful involvement in the botched Mamasapano clandestine operation that killed 44 elite commandos in 2015.

Purisima was arraigned on Thursday for one count each of usurpation of official functions and violation of Section 3(a) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for allegedly bypassing the chain of command during the planning of the ill-fated operation.

The former police chief was arraigned with no preliminary issues being raised by his defense lawyers, save for a request to correct his first name, which the prosecution misspelled as “Allan.”

Purisima did not grant reporters an interview after the hearing at the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division.

His co-defendant, retired Special Action Forces (SAF) Director Getulio Napeñas, was not arraigned. The latter is currently contesting the Office of the Ombudsman’s indictment through a motion for judicial determination of probable cause.

Since Purisima was arraigned first, the preliminary conference on his cases will proceed on April 6, 7, 21 and 28, while pretrial is on May 3.

During this stage, the parties will thresh out the issues and evidence to be presented at the trial proper. Prosecutors are currently readying seven folders of evidence against Purisima.

Prosecutors charged that Purisima led the botched operation code-named, “Oplan Exodus.”

He received updates from Napeñas and approved the date, even as he was suspended at the time pending an investigation on a graft case involving the delivery of firearms’ licenses. —VINCE F. NONATO