Monday, May 05, 2008 ‘Not meddling but to get due process’
REP. Raul del Mar (Cebu City north district) admitted yesterday that he called Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. to inquire about former Cebu vice governor John Gregory “John-john” Osmeña’s case, but did not intend to intervene in the matter.
Del Mar said he only wanted to confirm with Gonzalez if it’s true that John-John was never given a copy of the notice of the charges against him before the case was filed.
A criminal case for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 was filed last Friday against John-john for his alleged involvement in the importation of a shabu ingredient in 2004.
Del Mar said that after reading newspaper articles on the filing of the case against John-john, he immediately called the latter’s father, former senator John Henry “Sonny” Osmeña to ask if they are aware about it.
Sonny, he said, is a close friend of his.
Sonny, John-john’s father, reportedly said that they knew about the case, but said that they were not given a copy of the charges or the result of the investigation on the alleged involvement of John-john in the smuggling of pseudoephedrine.
“Thinking about what Sonny said, it kind of hit me that it was kind of unfair. So I called Secretary Gonzalez to bring that to his attention. When I asked him what can be done, I meant that I wanted to know what can be done if he confirms with his people that John-john was not given a copy of the charges and the case was filed already,” del Mar told Sun.Star Cebu.
Gonzalez reportedly said John-john could either file a motion for reconsideration or a petition for review of the case.
He further explained that if indeed John-john was not served a copy of the charges, it could be a procedural lapse on the part of the Department of Justice or a breach of due process.
Del Mar said he called Gonzalez in his capacity as a public servant who wanted to make sure that everyone is given due process. It was also the first time he called the secretary to ask about John-john’s case.
“Lest it is misconstrued as interfering, I want to point out that in the four years this case was investigated, I have never interfered or called any prosecutor involved in this case. I just made the call this time because it is a concern of due process, which everyone is entitled to,” he said in a phone interview.
“I called him so he can confirm it with his people, and not to tell him what to do,” del Mar continued. (LCR)
