The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday said Sen. Robinhood "Robin" Padilla stands to waive his rights to present a defense if he fails to attend the preliminary investigation next week into an obstruction of justice case filed against him for allegedly helping Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa escape arrest last May.
"Failure to appear will be considered a waiver of the right to present a defense and the case will be resolved based on the evidence on record," Justice Undersecretary Ian Dato told reporters in a press briefing.
"The issuance of a subpoena is not a finding of guilt. This is the preliminary investigation stage where respondents are given the full opportunity to answer the allegations before any finding of a prima facie case is made," he added.
In the early morning of May 14, Dela Rosa eluded an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his role in the deadly war against illegal drugs during the administration of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
He served as chief of the Philippine National Police under Duterte, who is facing three counts of crimes against humanity related to his anti-illegal drugs campaign during his tenure as Davao City mayor and as Philippine president.
Padilla admitted that Dela Rosa hitched a ride with him in leaving the Senate building as the law enforcers tried to serve the ICC’s arrest warrant.
“We’re duty-bound, as soon as we receive any complaint, to request any respondent to appear before us to submit their counter-affidavits and their supporting evidence via a subpoena,” Dato said. (PNA)
