Jee Ick-joo not the first body cops brought to funeral home—lawyer

South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo was not the first body in the guise of the government’s war on drugs that was taken by members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to Gream Funeral Homes in Caloocan.

“Insofar as Tokhang operations, may mga pulis din na iba na nagdadala sa punerarya nya [There are other policemen who brought bodies to the funeral homes],” Atty. Restituto Mendoza, lawyer of Gerardo Santiago, owner of Gream Funeral Homes told reporters.

He said his client only encountered Senior Police Officer 3 (SPO3) Ricky Sta. Isabel when he took Jee’s body to Gream.

Mendoza pointed out that Santiago does not know that Jee was a victim of kidnap-for-ransom.

Early this year, Santiago went to Canada but he returned to the country and sought custody under the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

He denied knowledge of the police operation against Jee.

READ: I’m innocent, says funeral home owner

“If I am involved, I never would have returned. I can just hide in Canada,” he told reporters when he was presented by the NBI before the media.

Mendoza also denied that Santiago asked for a golf set.

READ: Korean’s P100K golf set used to pay funeral parlor to keep corpse

When the NBI visited Gream Funeral Homes, no golf set was recovered but the police found the golf set when they visited the same place. RAM