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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Witness who recanted liable for perjury, says Mangudadatu

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Maguindanao Gov. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu has asked the Department of Justice to prosecute  the witness who recanted the bribery charge against the Ampatuans and several Justice officials and prosecutors.

Libel. Maguindanao Gov. Toto Mangudadatu is sworn in as he files a libel case
on Tuesday against a Jerramy Joson who accuses Justice Undersecretary
Francisco Baraan of receiving bribes from the Ampatuans, the main accused
in the Maguindanao Massacre case. Danny Pata

 In a 14-page complaint, the governor sought the indictment for perjury and libel of Jerramy Joson, who retracted her testimony that Justice Undersecretary Francisco Baraan and several prosecutors received millions from the camp of the principal accused in the Maguindanao massacre case.

The governor accused Joson of lying under oath and maligning his reputation in executing her affidavit last April 10 before State Prosecutor Ma. Cristina Rilloraza.

“These malicious imputations of respondent have caused me so much physical suffering, mental anguish, fright, serious anxiety, besmirched reputation, wounded feelings, moral shock and social humiliation after so much publicity of the accusations and malicious imputations of the respondent,” Mangudadatu said, in his complaint.

According to him, Joson should also be held liable for perjury because the witness made the false statements “willfully and deliberately” in her affidavit.

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However, the governor admitted that he had given Joson some P300,000 in cash to help cover for her expenses, while she was testifying earlier in the bribery charge.

 In the said affidavit, Joson alleged that she was used by the camp of Mangudadatu in a supposed bid to remove Usec. Baraan as supervising official of the DOJ panel prosecuting the case.

The witness said she fabricated charges against Baraan and some prosecutors through the notebook carrying the records of the amounts paid by the Ampatuans to the DOJ officials upon orders of Attys. Nena Santos and Gemma Oquendo.

Joson said the contents of the “notebook” were merely “concocted” by the camp of Santos and Mangudadatu.

The witness added that she was chosen for the demolition job since she was once close to Atty. Arnel Manaloto, a former Ampatuan lawyer who was reportedly used by the Ampatuan clan as dummy to hide their properties.

Mangudadatu went to the DOJ to personally subscribe to his complaint before Associate Prosecution Attorney Agnes Bagaforo-Arellano.

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