THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) called on the justice department to release the results of the investigation on the compact flash (CF) cards possessed by former Quezon City Representative Annie Rosa Susano.
“We are asking the Department of Justice to fast track the investigations so there will be no repeat of these incidents, and so that we can learn the lessons from these cases,” said Commissioner Rene Sarmiento.
Sarmiento wanted Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to follow-up the status of the probe as it is already way beyond the agency’s self-imposed deadline.
Former Justice Secretary Alberto Agra earlier promised to finish the investigation by June 15 with the reports immediately submitted to the Comelec.
“May timetable sila na binigay but until now wala pa. So, sana man lang ma-complete yung investigation dahil medyo may katagalan na,” the Comelec official added.
The DOJ and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) jointly investigated the cases and vowed to come up with their findings mid-June, the investigation started in May.
The probe focused on Susano’s unauthorized possession of the CF cards and the allegation of a taped conversation between poll Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer and then Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno.
The alleged taped conversation surfaced days after the May 10 elections, wherein the said officials are allegedly discussing the manipulation operations of the national and local polls.
On the other hand, the former Quezon City lawmaker showed Comelec and Smartmatic officials the CF cards before the hearing then being held by the House committee on suffrage and electoral reform.
The poll body decided to refer the cases to the DOJ and the NBI for proper and impartial investigation on the matter. (FP/Sunnex)