Tuesday, August 28, 2007 Woman ‘bribes’ cops, nabbed
THIS time, it was a woman who got arrested for allegedly trying to bribe a policeman last Sunday afternoon.
She offered the bribe in exchange for her nephew’s release from jail.
The entrapment took place in front of the post office, which is a few meters from the Lapu-Lapu City Police Station.
Last Wednesday, a Cebu City policeman was arrested for allegedly extorting P2 million from a businessman. About P200,000 exchanged hands at the Vice Control Section of the Cebu City Police Office.
In Lapu-Lapu, Nenida Nuñez allegedly offered P30,000 for the release of her nephew Benjie Abing, 23, and for police not to file a complaint against him.
Abing was caught in a buy-bust last Saturday night in Barangay Mactan by the team of PO2 Jomar Ybañez.
Thirty plastic sachets of shabu, sniffing paraphernalia and the mark money were allegedly seized from him.
Nuñez arrived at the police station Sunday morning and offered to settle her nephew’s case with PO3 Joseph Damas-co, who was the duty desk officer. Damasco declined and referred Nuñez to Ybañez and his group since they arrested Abing.
During talks between Nuñez and Ybañez, the two agreed to meet at 1 p.m. in front of the post office building.
It was there that Nuñez openly handed the cash to Ybañez.
What she didn’t know was that he had brought along backup to arrest her and a local TV crew to witness the exchange.
Damasco said separate criminal charges will be filed today against Nuñez and Abing before the prosecutor’s office.
In Cebu City, SPO1 Jaime Otadoy, PO1 Raniel Capangpangan and PO3 Rey Albotra are facing extortion, simple robbery, violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and violations of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards against Public Officials.
However, only Otadoy is in jail after he was arrested in an entrapment set up by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the police last Wednesday.
Businessman Reuel Lerio, 39, complained to the NBI that the policemen, who belong to the Vice Control Section (VCS) of the Cebu City Police Office, had threatened him with a non-bailable drug case unless he gives them P2 million.
The amount was later reduced to P1.2 million.
He was taken to the VCS office at Camp Sotero Cabahug on Gorordo Ave., but was released after paying P200,000.
The NBI and the police had already been already, resulting in the arrest of Otadoy. Capangpangan managed to slip away, while Albotra was not around at that time. (AIV)
