A BROTHER of slain lawyer Noel Archival has threatened to sue officials of the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) if the three suspects in the lawyer’s killing remain at large within the month.
Cebu City Councilor Nestor Archival reiterated his call yesterday for HPG to bring Senior Supt. Romualdo Iglesia, Senior Insp. Joselito Lerion and PO1 Alex Bacani to court.
The three former HPG members are facing multiple murder cases for the deaths of Archival, his aide Candido Miñoza and driver Alejandro Jayme.
They are also facing a frustrated murder case for injuries sustained by Paolo Cortes during the ambush in Barangay Coro, Dalaguete on Feb. 18, 2014.
“All the suspects disappeared from the holding center of HPG. We’re asking HPG to turn them over to the court because that is their responsibility...If they’re not going to turn them over, we will file a case against them,” Nestor said in an interview with reporters.
The family and friends of Archival have raised P500,000 as reward for information that will lead to the arrest of the suspects. They are offering P200,000 each for the arrest of Iglesia and Lerion and P100,000 for Bacani.
Nestor said the family was informed through a notice sent by HPG to the NBI that the suspects were placed in the HPG holding center.
But the suspects were no longer there when arrest warrants were issued against them last Dec. 11.
“I’ve written the HPG a letter that if they will not turn the suspects over to the court, I’m going to sue them,” Nestor said.
He said the HPG sent another communication saying the suspects were released last June yet.
Nestor said the higher HPG officials are trying to delay the case and are even “pushing very hard to the transfer the case now to Manila.”