Tuesday, June 05, 2007 John-john to DOJ: Reopen probe
FORMER Cebu vice governor John Gregory Osmeña is not waiving his right to preliminary investigation on the pseudoephedrine complaint filed against him.
Osmeña, through his lawyer Edgar Gica, asked the panel of prosecutors from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to set aside their ruling and to consider the preliminary investigation on the complaint still open.
(June 5, 2007 issue) Write letter to the editor.Click here. Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here.
Gica explained that as of the moment, he is only waiting for the arrival of Osmeña’s counter-affidavit from the US, where he presently resides.
He explained that they failed to file the affidavit on time because it needed the signature and affirmation of Osmeña before the Philippine Consulate in the US.
As a sign of good faith, Gica attached the unsigned counter-affidavit of Osme-ña to his omnibus motion filed before the DOJ through registered mail.
In his unsigned counter-affidavit, the former vice governor denied all the allegations against him.
Osmeña said he was surprised when he was informed that he and his former office staff are again implicated as respondents in the complaint filed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) last March.
He said the PDEA, in filing the complaint, used the same facts and circumstances, which were obtained as early as the first quarter of 2004.
“One thing is clear, though, such accusation crops up only when I and my family indicate an interest to seek a public office in government and only during every election time in the Philippines,” read his affidavit.
“I can very well say without fear and contradiction that the instant case, which I and my former staff have, is part of a political smear campaign lodged against me and my family designed by our political opponents and detractors,” it further read.
Osmeña tagged the complaint against him as nothing but a political persecution orchestrated by politicians, who are close to and influential with the PDEA.
He said the main goal of the complaint is to ruin his and his father’s political career. (KNT)
