Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla expressed his suspicion that high-profile drug detainee Jose Adrian “Jad” Dera may have influenced
probes from within his detention at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) amid a current Senate investigation on illegal activities inside the prison system.
Remulla questioned why Dera had been placed under the custody of the NBI when he should have been sent directly to the national
penitentiary in Muntinlupa where he is currently detained.
“What happened to Dera [him slipping in and out of detention] may have been a blessing in disguise because we were able to find out things in
relation to how he influenced the investigation of other detainees within the NBI facility,” he said in Filipino.
The Justice Secretary also suggested that Dera may have served as the “mayor” of the other detainees within the facility.
“Once you’re the leader [inside the facility], you are seen as the king. That is the natural order of things inside these detention
facilities. There is always someone who aspires to be a leader,” he added.
The Justice chief also said that they are still trying to track the root of the problem to fully understand how Dera allegedly managed to
leave and return to his detention.
“There is a possibility that he is among those trying to influence what goes on inside,” he explained.
Dera’s counsel, Raymond Palad, denied Remulla’s claims.
“Dera is not the ‘mayor’ inside the NBI detention cell. He befriended the escorts, that’s why he was able to slip out. He admitted this
during the Senate inquiry,” Palad said in a statement.
Dera is a co-accused in a drug case against former Senator Leila De Lima. He was caught returning to the NBI detention facility last
month, returning from a hotel in Makati where he had dined out.
He and six other NBI personnel are currently facing complaints before the Justice Department.
