Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II is sticking to his condition on the plan of inmate Jaybee Sebastian to reveal all on the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
After President Rodrigo Duterte rejected the offer of Sebastian to have a meeting, Aguirre said he was willing to instead meet the leasers of Presidio side of inmates at the NBP maximum security compound.
According to Aguirre, Sebastian should tell everything he knows, without selection of details. He also added that Sebastian has to come up with a complete and credible statement -- especially if he wishes to get immunity from possible prosecution. "Anyway, he will be joined by his lawyer if we agree to talk," he added.
Aguirre pointed out that fellow inmates tagged Sebastian as the facilitator of illegal drug trade in NBP allegedly to raise funds for the candidacy of Sen. Leila de Lima in the May elections.
Aguirre said that if Sebastian fails to get immunity, his statement might be useless and he could be charged as among the principals in the drug cases, that is why the only condition for him is to tell the whole truth.
If Sebastian still refuses to speak on the issue, Aguirre said he would have to return to prison and serve the remainder of his sentence. Sebastian has been convicted of kidnapping.
Aguirre also revealed that the DOJ is inclined to grant the request of Sebastian's lawyer Eduardo Arriba for the inmate to be transferred to another facility. The transfer was urged by Arriba after Sebastian was injured in a prison riot last week.
Aguirre believed the riot where Sebastian and three other high-profile inmates were injured and where drug lord Tony Co was killed could be related to the ongoing congressional probe on the NBP drug trade.
De Lima, a former justice secretary, has said Sebastian was a tipster who gave her department information that led to a 2014 raid on the penitentiary. The raid exposed how high-profile convicts lived in air-conditioned villas equipped with hot tubs and disco lights. Guns, counting machines, cellphones and other gadgets were confiscated.
However, President Duterte has accused De Lima of collecting money from the illegal trade operated by drug lords from the penitentiary.
Sebastian will be a valuable witness, expected to spill the beans on Senator De Lima alleged crime.
Source: Philippine Star
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