Ombudsman files raps vs prosecutor, 2 cohorts

AN ASSISTANT city prosecutor, a former security guard of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and his wife, have each been charged with two counts of estafa by a detainee.

The Office of the Ombudsman, acting on the complaint of Danilo Reyes, filed the charges yesterday against Manila Assistant City Prosecutor Cesar Glorioso, ex-NBI security guard Danilo Opana, and his wife Lourdes,  with the Manila Regional Trial Court.

Reyes alleged that in 2001, the three extorted a total of P250,000 from him after they claimed they could get him out of detention.

Reyes is in the NBI’s custody while awaiting his extradition to the United States on child molestation charges.

According to Reyes’ complaint, he was first befriended by Opana who had bragged that his wife knew a prosecutor—later identified as Glorioso—who could help secure his temporary liberty.

Reyes said the P250,000 was paid out by his wife, Lilibeth Macaraeg, to Lourdes, in several installments.

According to him, the first payment was made on May 2001 during a meeting between the two women. The initial amount given was P50,000.

The following month, his wife gave P150,000 more to Lourdes, followed by P50,000 in October during a meeting she had with Lourdes and Glorioso in a restaurant, Reyes said.

He added that he was prompted to file a case against the three persons after he continued to be detained at the NBI.

In 2006, graft investigation and prosecution officer Ruth Laura Mella of the Office of the Ombudsman issued a resolution calling for the filing of estafa charges against the respondents.

A check conducted by the NBI showed that Lourdes had previously been charged with large-scale estafa.

Opana, meanwhile, denied that he had introduced his wife to the complainant.

Glorioso also denied his involvement in the case and said that although he knew Opana, there was no evidence showing that he received money from Reyes.