THE Office of the Special Prosecutor has moved for the
withdrawal of two counts of direct bribery against Pasig City chief prosecutor
Jacinto G. Ang and one bribery charge against assistant chief state prosecutor
Apolinario Exevea.
Acting director OSP Rodrigo V. Coquia and special prosecution
officers II Eusebio M. Avila and Francisco L. Ilustre said their review of the
evidence gathered against the two defendants showed no basis for their
indictment before the Sandiganbayan.
Ang was accused of receiving P500,000 from lawyer Leon C.
Guerrero Jr., Urban Bank representative, reportedly for the approval of
falsification and perjury charges filed by the bank against respondent Cesar
Garcia Jr.; and another P1 million to drop estafa cases lodged against Urban
bank officials.
Exevea on the other hand was charged with having received
P100,000 and a karaoke unit in exchange for securing a dismissal of an appeal on
the falsification cases against Garcia.
In recommending the withdrawal of the three informations, the
OSP noted that the cases stemmed solely from an affidavit executed by Caesar
Ortega, a co-respondent of the defendants.
"The allegations are very sweeping and general. The circumstances alleged do
not engender a reasonable belief that a crime of direct bribery had been
committed. The allegations lack substance. Serious allegations. should not be
made recklessly," the OSP said. - Peter J. G. Tabingo
