Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Thursday said he will wait for the outcome of the inquest proceedings before filing a disbarment case against National Bureau of Investigation lawyer Joshua Paul Capiral who has been charged with extortion for allegedly receiving bribes from Immigration personnel involved in the so-called “pastillas scam.”
“We’ll consider this action after the inquest resolution,” Guevarra said when asked if he would seek for the disbarment of Capiral, chief of the NBI legal assistance division.
Guevarra said he will discuss the disbarment of Capiral with the NBI leadership in the event that the National Prosecution Service finds probable cause to indict the lawyer for extortion and other criminal cases.
The NBI was tasked to investigate the money-making scheme dubbed as “pastillas” by some Bureau of Immigration personnel at the airport because the grease money was placed inside a rolled bond paper, similar to how the sweet delicacy is wrapped.
Immigration personnel on the take would then return escort Chinese nationals illegally entering the country.
On Sept. 1, the NBI filed criminal charges against 19 Immigration personnel before the Office of the Ombudsman.
Last week, Capiral and his brother Christopher were caught in an entrapment operation after they reportedly received P200,000 in marked money from one of the 19 respondents.
Reports indicated that Capiral allegedly charged up to P200,000 per respondent in exchange for dropping the case.
The Capiral brothers were charged with robbery-extortion; violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act 3019); and violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (Republic Act No. 6713).
DOJ Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon said the criminal case filed against Capiral and his brother would fall under the National Prosecution Service’s Special Cases Division.
As of Thursday, Fadullon said the resolution on Capiral case was still being finalized.