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Monday, July 01, 2002
City prosecutors 'biased vs. Kings'
CEBU -- The King family will file Monday a motion for inhibition, asking all Cebu City prosecutors to stop hearing the case they filed against businessman Roderick Go.
Brothers Rafael and Richard King, in the presence of lawyer Rory Jon Sepulveda, revealed during a press conference Sunday noon that they have lost trust in the local prosecutors.
Justice Secretary Hernani Perez will be furnished a copy of the motion.
"Hopefully, they will inhibit voluntarily para walay samok," Sepulveda said.
Sepulveda added they came up with the move after Assistant Prosecutor Victor Laborte and two other unnamed prosecutors were quoted in newspaper reports expressing doubts on the kidnapping and serious physical injuries complaints James King filed against Go, his wife Grace, bodyguard PO2 Roberto Petillos and driver Henry Baritua.
They also reported how a Crusade Against Violence official helped a member of the Go family talk to Baritua, supposedly to make sure he doesn't say anything incriminating about the Gos.
James, who is still recuperating from the wounds in his neck, face, arms and legs, invited reporters to a press conference last week.
King's lawyer Rolindo Navarro had said they presented King to dispel any misgivings prosecutors might have on the validity of their complaints.
Laborte himself has admitted he had misgivings on the veracity of King's kidnapping and serious physical injuries complaint, because he found it hard to believe that somebody who just had his throat cut can still narrate the incidents leading to his injury.
Connections?
Navarro has explained King's injury did not affect his trachea, so he can still speak, but since his right hand was bound by an elastic bandage leaving only the fingertips exposed, he just affixed his thumbmark instead of signing the affidavit.
During Sunday's press conference, Sepulveda said they were surprised how Prosecutors Mary Ann Castro and Edilberto Ensomo were able to subscribe the counter-affidavits of the respondents Grace Go and Petillos, when the two did not go to the prosecutor's office.
They suspect the prosecutors signed the affidavit somewhere else.
"We have reports that one of the prosecutors was fetched by a vehicle identified with the Gos. Prosecutor Laborte also received the counter-affidavits but our lawyer was not furnished and under the law, that's not allowed," Richard King said.
They also cited the "meddling" of Crusade Against Violence (CAV) Visayas chairperson Thelma Chiong as another reason for their petition.
"We were told that Thelma Chiong went to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 7 with Go's father-in-law and told the driver (Baritua) not to issue any statement that would implicate the Gos. We know that Thelma throws her weight around in the prosecutor's office, she has influence there," Richard added.
'Good friend'
But Chiong denied she wields any influence at the Office of the Cebu City Prosecutor.
Assistant City Prosecutors Castro and Ensomo could not be reached for comment.
Chiong admitted she assisted the father of Grace Tan-Go in going to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to talk with the driver, Baritua.
"But I did not in any way try to convince the driver not to implicate the Gos in this case. I only told him to tell the truth. And he said that the Gos have nothing to do with the case," she said.
She added she is only trying to help Grace Tan-Go, who is a good friend of their family.
The complaints filed by the Kings against Go came after Go allegedly attacked James over a P35.9-million debt.
Because of the incident, King's account with Metrobank has reportedly been frozen.
Go allegedly issued checks to King amounting to P35.9 million last June 21 and King had these encashed in Metrobank-Plaridel branch. Go received the cash equivalent, from King's account.
The Kings and Metrobank have a bills purchase agreement, which means that instead of waiting for the checks to be cleared in two to three days, the bank can encash these immediately.
The check still undergoes the usual clearing process. On June 24, Monday, Go's check bounced because of insufficient funds.
Go allegedly called King and told him that they will meet at the rooftop of Metrobank-Plaridel.
There, King said in his affidavit, Go had him look for a missing ring in the baggage compartment of his (Go's) car, then slashed his throat with a box cutter.
Later on, Go brought King to Chong Hua Hospital. MBG/With GN/Sun.Star Cebu |
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