DESPITE the call of the victim’s wife for the National Bureau of Investigation to back off the case, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II insisted on Friday the agency will continue its investigation of the abduction and killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo.
“They will not withdraw from the case because they already have leads that they need to pursue,” Aguirre said, even after Jee’s wife Choi Kyungjin urged President Rodrigo Duterte to order the NBI off the case because some NBI men were implicated in the kidnap-slay.
“I do not trust the NBI to carry out an impartial investigation,” Choi said in her one-page letter to Duterte following the allegation of police colonel Rafael Dumlao that some NBI agents were involved in the Jee’s abduction and murder.
She said she would prefer that the Philippine National Police’s Anti-Kidnapping Group be the sole agency to handle the investigation instead of a joint PNP-NBI probe.
“With the news that several high-ranking NBI personnel might also be involved…I am afraid that this will only further delay the speedy resolution you promised,” Choi said.
But Aguirre said the NBI decided to continue the probe because the agency had already conducted an in-depth investigation “would be able to strengthen the case.”
But even prosecutors of the Department of Justice are confused over the parallel investigations of the NBI and Philippine National Police.
During a hearing of the case Thursday, the prosecutors, led by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera, were baffled at separate motions filed by PNP’s Anti-Kidnapping and the NBI seeking differing extensions of the deadline to submit evidence.
The PNP-AKG sought an additional 15 days, while the NBI sought a 20 extension to submit additional documents related to the case.
“How joint is this task force? If this were really a task force, we would be receiving one motion for extension [but] we received two asking for extension with different periods. So, is there really a joint task force to speak of,” Navera asked.
NBI laywer Niño Martinez said: “We still have conflicting views. As far as I know, we do not have a written order. We only have a special order issued by the [NBI] director.”
Martinez was referring to the special order dated Feb. 3 issued by NBI Director Dante Gierran assigning 15 agents to conduct special missions on Jee’s case.
The PNP-AKG agreed with the NBI that there is no formal order creating the task force. But noted that both agencies are coordinating to fast-track the case.
“The court is not looking at the NBI and the PNP. Can you imagine how are we going to explain the April 19 deadline when you still have to coordinate,” Navera said.
“My point is you are not just operating within your investigative world. We are dealing with the court who has given us 60 days so let us act fast,” the prosecutor stressed.
The Pampanga court gave the DOJ 60 days to finish a reinvestigation on the case after accused Senior Police Officer 3 Ricky Sta. Isabel, SPO4 Roy Villegas and Ramon Yalung sought a reinvestigation saying they were deprived of their constitutional right to due process after the DoJ filed the non-bailable case before the court without giving them the opportunity to file their counter-affidavit in a preliminary investigation.
The DoJ panel of prosecutor only gave the PNP and the NBI up to Monday, Feb. 20 to submit all documents and evidence on the case. Submission of counter-affidavit is on March 2.