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Friday, June 09, 2006
Alleged terrorist's wife wants Palace exec, six lawyers disbarred
AN UNDERSECRETARY in Malacañang, five state prosecutors and a private lawyer are facing a disbarment complaint filed by the wife of suspected terrorist Hilarion "Dawud" Santos III, founder of the terror group Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM).
Named respondent in the complaint were Attorney Ricardo Blancaflor, an undersecretary of Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, who was dubbed in the complaint as being known in the Muslim community as "the designer-operator" and "terrorism expert" for the Presidential Anti-Terrorist Task Force.
Also sought to be disbarred were Assistant Chief State Prosecutor Richard Fadullon; Senior State Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco as head of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Task Force on Rebellion; State Prosecutors Aileen Gutierrez, Romeo Senson, and Juan Pedro Navera; and, private lawyer Raymund Palad, who is reportedly working at the office of Blancaflor.
Santos, also known as "Ahmed", was tagged in the February 2004 Superferry bombing and the 2005 Valentine's Day bus bombing. He was charged with rebellion now pending before the Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 60.
In a complaint filed by Fatima Santos before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), the suspected terrorist's wife said the respondents should be disbarred for allegedly concocting a sworn affidavit implicating her husband to incidents of terrorism.
Myrna Ibba, sister of Nururrija Amdal, who was also charged in the same rebellion case along with Santos on Oct. 26, 2005 in Zamboanga City, also signed the complaint.
Santos accused Blancaflor and the prosecutors of violating the Code of Professional Responsibility when they allegedly forced a Balik-Islam member Malik Alimuddin to sign "a fake waiver with extra-judicial confession" on Oct. 28, 2005.
"Such fantastic Sinumpaang Salaysay (sworn affidavit) purportedly by accused Malik Alimuddin was very well celebrated and propagated by the DOJ (respondents) to several media publications. The DOJ's submission of accused Malik's fake Sinumpaang Salaysay was supposed to substantiate discharge of Malik as state witness for the prosecution with the help of respondent Palad," the complainant said.
When arraigned, Alimuddin pleaded not guilty. It later turned out that the Alimuddin was forced, threatened and deceived by Senson and Palad to sign the pre-fabricated confession in exchange for his liberty, according to Santos.
With the help of a counsel of his choice, Alimuddin signed a "sworn manifestation" declaring his earlier sworn affidavit void after it was proven to have been signed by him "under duress, without counsel of his choice, and without reading its contents."
"Hence, since Malik Alimuddin is not the author of the fake Sinumpaang Salaysay, it is clear that respondent Palad, Senson, and the signatories of the resolution dated Nov. 2, 2005, concocted the wild tales contained therein, which included an admission that the RSM is a terrorist group linked with the Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah Islamiah, and al-Queda," Santos said.
The complainant alleged that Blancaflor participated "in concocting such wild tales of the RSM terrorist group, who are also alleged to be behind the Superferry bombing, the Valentine's Day bombing, and even the plot to kill Americans," which prompted the US Government to pay P26 million reward to two tipsters who provided information for the arrest of her husband last year.
The two tipsters gave provided information leading to the arrest of the leader of the RSM, who earlier confessed that he had been operating with suspected Bali bombers and some members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).
He has since been the subject of a massive manhunt by the US Government, which offered a US$10 million reward for his capture.
Santos reportedly established a training camp in his family's property in Pangasinan, where an al-Qaeda suicide cell allegedly trained before the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on the US. (ECV/Sunnex)
(June 9, 2006 issue)
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