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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Guevarra assures fairness in preliminary probe of Pimentel raps

Guevarra assures fairness in preliminary probe of Pimentel raps

Published Apr 6, 2020 12:00 am
  By Jeffrey Damicog Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Monday, April 6, assured that the Department of Justice will be fair in the conduct of the preliminary investigation of the complaint that was filed against Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III over his alleged breach of quarantine protocols. Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra (TOTO LOZANO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra
(TOTO LOZANO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) “We assure everyone that the Justice Department will apply the law fairly and uniformly, regardless of the status of the respondent, with due respect at all times to the rights of the respondent,” he said. “This investigation is without prejudice to the separate probe that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has commenced,” he added. The Secretary made the statement after former University of Makati law dean Rico Quicho filed the complaint which was e-mailed to the Department of Justice (DOJ) just before noon on Monday. “We've been waiting for the filing of this complaint,” Guevarra noted. “Now that it has been filed, the Justice Department will immediately schedule the preliminary investigation on such date as may be appropriate, considering the current lockdown in Metro Manila,” he said. Before President Duterte imposed a Luzon-wide enhanced community, Guevarra issued a directive, among which, included the suspension of preliminary investigation of complaints filed before prosecution offices. Meanwhile, the NBI is also conducting its own investigation over the violation Pimentel allegedly committed. NBI Deputy Director Ferdinand Lavin previously said that Pimentel, who has been tested positive with the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), will be invited to the NBI once the senator is done with his self-quarantine. Makati Medical Center (MMC) had denounced Pimentel’s March 24 visit of the hospital to accompany his then pregnant wife. At that time, Pimentel was supposed to be on self-quarantine since he was considered a person under monitoring (PUM) for having the COVID-19 at that time. Read more: Raps filed vs Senator Pimentel
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