NATIONAL Police chief Avelino Razon Jr. on Friday said the
junking by a Quezon City regional trial court the other day of the obstruction
of justice charge against lawyer Homobono Adaza and his co-accused will not
affect the other case filed by the police against them.
"Isang asunto lamang naman ang ibinasura ng QCRTC at ito nga
yung obstruction of justice pero sapat pa naman ang ebidensiya natin laban sa
kanila sa iba pang kasong naisampa na," Razon said.
Adaza and former military officials Oscarlito Mapalo, Ernie
Amboy, and Cesar dela Peña were arrested at the Ortigas Center in Pasig City
last July 2 after lawyer Raymond Fortun filed a complaint against them for
allegedly extorting $4 million from Fortun's Japanese client to finance a coup
against President Arroyo.
Adaza and others were arrested while in the company of former
police Supt. Rafael Cardeño who was wanted on a murder case. This became the
basis of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group's filing of obstruction
of justice (harboring a fugitive) against Adaza and the others.
Senior state prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco said the government
can re-file the same charge against Adaza and others since they have not been
arraigned. "We will appeal it. We can still re-file the charge under the law
because they have not yet been arraigned and there is no double jeopardy. We
will study this carefully," he said.
Velasco said that as an intelligent lawyer, Adaza was aware that talking to a
fugitive is illegal and could even mean his disbarment. "Disbarment is
possible," he said, "because it is a violation of a lawyer's oath." -
Raymond Africa
