Alleged drug lord Peter Lim showed up at the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday to swear to his affidavit denying involvement in the illegal drug trade after he was warned by state prosecutors that his statement would be rejected unless he swore to it personally before them.
Despite his earlier claim that he feared for his life at the DOJ, Lim and his lawyer, Magilyn Loja, arrived two hours before the deadline set by state prosecutors for him to appear at the preliminary investigation of the complaint filed against him by the Philippine National Police.
The PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group alleged that Lim was a supplier of “shabu” (crystal meth) in the Visayas.
In his statement, Lim described himself as a legitimate businessman from Cebu with “thousands of namesakes.”
“It is also against common sense for me to use my real name, and not an alias, if I was involved in any unlawful activity like the illegal drug trade,” he said.
Lim did not appear at the DOJ for the first scheduled preliminary hearing last week because he felt unsafe there, Loja said.
Lim swore to his counteraffidavit before Manila Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Antonio Valencia on Tuesday and sent his lawyer to the DOJ on Thursday to submit it.
However, the members of the DOJ panel, Assistant State Prosecutors Aristotle Reyes and John Michael Humarang, rejected it.
They warned Lim that not appearing before them before the end of office hours on Thursday would be considered a waiver of his right to file a counteraffidavit.
Loja argued that the rules of court allowed Lim to swear to his statement before any public prosecutor, but Reyes said DOJ’s own rules required prosecutors to “personally examine” anyone who submitted an affidavit.
“How can I now be sure that the Peter Go Lim who appeared before the prosecutor of Manila is the same Peter Go Lim who submitted that counteraffidavit?” Reyes said.