Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla has ordered the transfer to his office for case build-up or preliminary investigation of thecriminal complaints filed against a Filipino-Indian for alleged illegal possession of firearms and dangerous drugs.
In Department Order No. 498, Remulla instructed the Office of the City Prosecutor (OCP) of Dasmarinas City in Cavite to transfer the criminal complaints against Filipino-Indian Amith Chandiramani to the Office of the Secretary of Justice “for the conduct of case build-up and/or preliminary investigation.”
Chandiramani was charged by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) with violations of Republic Act No. (RA) 10591, the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, and RA 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
In his order, the DOJ Secretary designated Assistant State Prosecutor Michael John M. Humarang “to handle the case and to resolve the sameand if warranted by the evidence, to file the corresponding information before the appropriate court.”
“Likewise, ASP Humarang shall handle all cases between/among the same parties which are connected to, necessarily included, or as a consequence of these cases, including counter charges, which might arise in the future,” Remulla said.
“In this connection, the Office of the City Prosecutor of Dasmarinas City, Cavite is directed to forthwith transmit to ASP Humarang all the records of the aforementioned criminal complaints,” the Justice Secretary added.
Published reports stated that Chandiramani was arrested last June by the PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Special Action Force, and the Cavite Provincial police for alleged illegal possession of firearms.
The same reports stated that Chandiramani was released for failure of the police to file charges against him within 36 hours from his arrest.
On Aug. 1, 2023, the Dasmarinas City Prosecutor’s office, after preliminary investigation, dismissed the complaints for illegal possession of firearms as far as the seized Colt Carbine 5.56 mm rifle and illegal possession of explosives with respect to the seized fragmentation grenade.
The resolution on the dismissal of the charges pointed out the failure of the police to present the video clips of their body worn cameras. Chandiramani was indicted for alleged illegal possession of 9mm pistol.
With Remulla’s order to transfer the preliminary investigation of the complaints to the DOJ, Chandiramani’s lawyer Edmundo Magpantay said the Dasmarinas City Prosecutor’s Office should immediately comply.
Chandiramani, through the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), filed before the DOJ last August a criminal complaint against seven persons, including his brother Rajiv and their mother Pushpa, for falsification of public documents concerning properties amounting to around P1 billion.
Amith accused his brother Rajiv of forging the signature of their father, Prem N. Chandiramani who died in 2011, in the following documents:
• Dec. 11, 2018 deed of absolute sale involving the conveyance of property covered by TCT No. 46459 in favor of Royal Brothers Realty & Development, Inc.;
• Nov. 29, 2019 deed of absolute sale covering the conveyance of the property covered by TCT No. 004- RT2020000479 (PR-19450) in favor of Myview Philippines, Inc.; and
• Sept. 11, 2018 real estate mortgage TCT No. 46459 in favor of the Landbank of the Philippines. Rajiv was also accused of forging the signature of Amith in the absolute deed of sale dated July 18, 2015 covering the sale of the properties covered by TCT No. 006-2010000064 and TCT No. 006-2010000065 in favor of Royal Brothers Realty & Development, Inc.
In his counter-affidavit, Rajiv asked the DOJ’s panel of prosecutors to dismiss the multiple complaints for falsification of public documents filed against him by his brother.
“I vehemently and categorically deny that there is any falsification and/or that I authored acts of falsification,” said Rajiv, who was accused of violating Article 172, in relation of Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC). Rajiv expressed his belief that the panel of prosecutors will be able to ascertain that “the complainant’s allegations are baseless, contrived and manufactured.”