NEWLY appointed Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Sunday he will review the decisions of the Justice department that resulted in the resignation of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II last week.
He said he will also review the dismissal of the drug charges against Cebuano businessman Peter Lim and self-confessed drug trader Kerwin Espinosa that angered President Rodrigo Duterte.
He also vowed to review the provisional coverage of pork-barrel scam queen Janet Lim-Napoles in the government’s witness protection program.
“I will review the previous actions on the Espinosa and Napoles cases. That’s top priority in view of the public interest,” Guevarra said in a text message.
“I “©will reserve any judgment, though, till I have thoroughly studied the matter. For now I’m forming a small legal team to assist me on top of the veteran guys at the DoJ.”
But Guevarra said he would not be like Aguirre or former Justice secretary and now detained Senator Leila de Lima in terms of granting media interviews.
“Very much unlike my predecessors, I’d like to be the last person to speak about the cases under investigation. I will not prejudge till I’ve formed my own conclusion,” Guevarra said.
“Prudence is my guiding principle, and the rule of law is my one and only compass. As an individual with a quiet family, I have neither political ambitions nor any agenda to dispense justice.”
Guevarra, who served as deputy executive secretary in the Aquino and Duterte administrations, was appointed Justice secretary last week following Aguirre’s resignation.
Guevarra is reportedly a close friend of Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.
Before his resignation, Aguirre ordered a reinvestigation of the Espinoza drug charges that were previously dismissed by a panel of prosecutors.
