Lawyer denies witness in car dealer’s slay no longer in DoJ custody

MANILA, Philippines—The lawyer of one of the prime witnesses in the Venson Evangelista robbery-slay case denied claims that his client, Alfred Mendiola, escaped from the custody of the Department of Justice.

“It was a miscommunication,” lawyer Willie Rivera, Mendiola’s counsel, said Wednesday.

Quezon City Assistant City Prosecutor Irene Resurreccion, one of the prosecutors handling the case, also denied the reports.

“There is no truth to that story,” Resurreccion said.

Rivera said Mendiola left the premises of the DoJ after he raised concerns about his safety.

The lawyer did not elaborate when asked about what Mendiola’s specific concern was, and said he had yet to discuss the matter further with his client.

He added, however, that Mendiola had mentioned he was no longer comfortable with the security provisions given to him by the justice department.

“There was an agreement with the DoJ about protective custody. So any time he (Mendiola) wants to leave, he can do so,” the lawyer said.

Rivera said Mendiola left the DoJ premises on Tuesday, but only received a call from him Wednesday morning requesting for a meeting.

With DoJ agents

He admitted that he met with Mendiola and that his client asked to put him under police protection.

Rivera said that when he met with Mendiola, his client was accompanied by agents of the DoJ.

An alleged eyewitness to the killing of Evangelista, a car dealer, Mendiola had been admitted to the witness protection program after he surrendered to the police when Evangelista’s charred body was found.

Mendiola pointed to brothers Roger and Raymond Dominguez as the alleged masterminds in the killing of the car dealer.