Peter Lim demands transparency in drug case

Alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa (second from right) smiles as he arrives at the Department of Justice for the preliminary investigation on drug charges against him and several others. TETCH TORRES-TUPAS

Lawyers of Cebu-based businessman Peter Lim insisted before the Department of Justice (DOJ) that the witness who identified him as a drug lord appear before the prosecutors and affirm his affidavit.

“Considering the crime imputed to my client is very grave, we find it [that] he should be presented so that he can subscribe to his affidavits and verify if his claims are true,” Majilyn Loja, one of Lim’s lawyers, told reporters Monday during the preliminary investigation.

Loja was referring to Lim’s co-respondent Marcelo Adorco, who identified the businessman in his affidavit as the one who supplied “staggering amounts” of drugs to Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa.

In a hearing at the Senate, Espinosa confessed to “distributing” shabu.

Lim, Espinosa, convicted drug lord Peter Co and several others are facing a complaint for violation of Section 26 (b) of RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.

Section 26 (b) is an attempt or conspiracy for the sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation of any dangerous drug and/or controlled precursor and essential chemical.

“He is not that person. He has always denied it. In fact, he presented himself [before the National Bureau of Investigation] saying that he is not the alias Jaguar,” Loja said of her client.

“He is here to face the charges against him. We will be advising him that today’s setting is for the scheduling of filing of counter-affidavit,” she added.

Espinosa was also present during Monday’s preliminary investigation while a representative from the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), Superintendent Roberto Rabo, was present for Co. The respondents were given up to Aug. 24 to submit their counter-affidavits.

Other respondents to the case are Adorco, Max Miro and Lovely Impal. The DOJ prosecutors set the second preliminary investigation on Aug. 17. CBB