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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Pharmally executive pleads with Court of Appeals to act on his case, order his release from jail

Pharmally executive pleads with Court of Appeals to act on his case, order his release from jail

Published Mar 15, 2022 03:55 pm

Court of Appeals

The Court of Appeals (CA) has been pressed to act on the plea for release of another Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation executive who has been jailed since November 2021 on orders of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

The CA had dismissed the petition for a writ of habeas corpus filed by Pharmally Executive Twinkle Dargani since she had been released last Jan. 11.

But lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, in a press statement, said the CA did not mention anything on the case of the other petitioner, Mohit Dargani, who, together with Linconn Ong, continued to be detained at the Pasay City jail.

Topacio said that the three Pharmally executives appeared before the Senate Blue Ribbon’s probe on alleged irregularities in the procurement of Covid-19 supplies and were subsequently held in contempt by the Senate.

“Remember only the three showed up and tried to give their testimony but were forbidden to speak up and give their side of the story. The Senate records will show that they were not even allowed to read their statements prior to the start of the hearings,” Topacio said.

“Even more interesting is that the two remaining Pharmally executives have been treated worse than convicted criminals -- limited to no visitation rights, limited interactions and communications with their lawyers among other things, and they have not been charged with any crime,” he noted.

“The two businessmen and of course Miss Twinkle Dargani were trapped and silenced, and I call on the Court of Appeals to set them free,” he pleaded as he assured that the Pharmally executives will face whatever charges are filed against them in the proper courts.

In its resolution signed by Associate Justices Apolinario D. Bruselas Jr., Maria Filomena D. Singh and Bonifacio S. Pascua, the CA said “the Court has been informed, however, that the Senate already caused the release of petitioner Twinkle Dargani from detention on 11 January 2022.”

“WHEREFORE, no further action needed to be taken with respect to petitioner Twinkle Dargani, the petition as to her having been rendered moot and academic. Thus, her petition is dismissed,” the CA ruled.

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