JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II ordered the National Bureau of Investigation Wednesday to look into claims that two of its employees may have been involved in the kidnapping and murder of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo.
NBI Deputy Director Ferdinand Lavin, the NBI spokesperson, ducked questions about the report, however.
“I am out of the office,” said Lavin in a text message to Manila Standard on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Lavin declined to respond to text messages again asking for comment on the allegations that NBI agents were involved.
Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa on Tuesday identified one of the NBI agents only as “Jerry” and said the other’s identity has yet to be determined.
“We will investigate through the NBI,” Aguirre said.
Dela Rosa said Jerry was a driver of an NBI official and was seen in one of the CCTV footage with SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel, the main suspect in the case, when he was withdrawing money from an ATM in Greenhills, San Juan City.
Sta. Isabel is already under the custody of the PNP after an Angeles City court ordered him and six others arrested for kidnapping for ransom with homicide.
Jerry was also named as one of Sta. Isabel’s co-accused in the case.
Senior Supt. Glenn Dumlao, chief of the Anti-Kidnapping Group, said Senior Police Officer 4 Roy Villegas, one of those implicated in the crime, was the one who revealed that an NBI agent was involved in the kidnapping and murder case.
Dumlao said Sta. Isabel, who is accused of strangling Jee , sought refuge with the NBI “because he has many friends there.”
One of the suspects, identified as a certain Jerry Boy, showed an NBI badge, Dumlao said.
“We have coordinated with the NBI and that will be part of our investigation,” he said.
The other suspects include a police officer from the National Capital Region Police Office and three civilians.
Dumlao said he is not in anyway related to Supt. Rafael Dumlao III, Sta. Isabel’s team leader in the Anti-Illegal Drug Group, who was also tagged in Jee’s murder.
Rafael Dumlao III was placed under restricted custody of the Philippine National Police Headquarters Support Service.
The Department of Justice has filed a case against Sta. Isabel, Villegas, Ramon Yalung and four others identified only as Pulis, Jerry, Sir Dumlao and Ding.
The policemen detained Jee with a fake arrest warrant in October 2016 with the intent of holding him for ransom.
However, the Korean was killed the same day, strangled inside police headquarters in Camp Crame.
The Korean’s family paid a P5-million ransom without being told that he was already dead.
Dumlao said they are checking the records of Sta. Isabel, who appeared to have a lot of business interests.
“We are also conducting financial investigation on Sta. Isabel. We are checking with the BIR [Bureau of Internal Revenue], SEC [Securities and Exchange Commission] and we will be seeking the help of AMLC [Anti-Money Laundering Council],” he said.
Dela Rosa, meanwhile said a source within the bureau confirmed that two NBI employees were involved.
Sta. Isabel on Wednesday asked the Angeles City Regional Trial Court to order his transfer of custody to the National Bureau of Investigation from the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame.
In an urgent motion filed through his lawyer from the Public Attorneys Office, Sta. Isabel also appealed to the Angeles City RTC, Branch 58, to order the DoJ to reinvestigate charges of kidnapping for ransom with homicide against him.
The detained policeman said he does not feel safe inside Camp Crame after he implicated several senior officials in the case, including his superiors PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Group – Pampanga head Supt. Rafael Dumlao and Senior Supt. Allan Macapagal of the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group.
“Since accused herein is a member of the Philippine National Police, detained at the institution’s detention facility, he fears for his life’s security as the same is in imminent danger as he continuously receives death threats,” Sta. Isabel’s lawyer said.
Aguirre II earlier cited the possibility that higher PNP officials were involved in the kidnap-slay case after Sta. Isabel and wife Jinky submitted evidence pointing to involvement of his superiors. With Rey E. Requejo