Former House lawmakers seek to thwart warrant of arrest for murder raps
FORMER lawmakers of a militant group at the House of Representatives will file a motion for reconsideration seeking to quash the warrant of arrest issued against them and subsequently seek the dismissal of the murder charges in connection with three deaths 12 years ago.
Lawyer Rachel Pastores, counsel for Satur Ocampo, Teodoro “Teddy” Casiño, Liza Maza and Rafael Mariano said his clients would be filing their appeal on Monday since it was only last Wednesday when the Nueva Ecija Regional Trial Court (RTC) confirmed that a warrant of arrest was issued against her them.
“We will be filing an MR on Monday seeking to quash the warrant of arrest and dismiss the case. This case has no merit and are trumped up charges, that is why the Supreme Court already ruled that it is up to [the]RTC to determine the probable cause of this case, not the fiscal as RTC wants,” Pastores said in a news conference on Friday.
Pastores was referring to the Supreme Court ruling on the case issued last September 2017.
“What could have happened between then and now that there is suddenly probable cause?” Pastores said.
The alleged victims were Carlito Bayudang, Jimmy Peralta and Danilo Felipe.
Pastores then stressed that the accusers of her clients made their affidavit before the police, not the fiscal, which is what is required under the Rules of Court.
She said that the accusers’ identities could not be ascertained since they refused to reveal their faces.
“Their affidvait was taken by the police, not the fiscal. These accusers have names, but they don’t have faces. How can a case stand in that situation?” Pastores said. LLANESCA T. PANTI
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