Defense lawyers condemn 'intel report' on Judges' slay plot
Defense lawyers of the celebrated Jefferson Tan Kidnapping For Ransom (KFR) case condemned "in strongest terms" the intelligence report of Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 that linked their clients to a purported liquidation plot on members of the Judiciary.
In a statement obtained by The News Today (TNT), top Ilonggo lawyers Edeljulio Romero, Cornelio Panes and Roberto Parcon led the Defense team in challenging top cops to back up their report.
To recall, PRO 6 recently came out with a disclosure of the supposed comeback of notorious police personalities in what was allegedly a master plan for a crime spree in Iloilo.
One of those confirmed by PRO 6's Senior Supt. Isagani Cuevas, Deputy Regional Director for Operations was a supposed bank heist in March, the proceeds meant to finance the syndicate's bigger operations. Cuevas in radio interviews said among those received through "intelligence reports" was the planned hit on select Judges particularly those who handles KFR and drug cases.
Authorities further linked yet another reported rescue plot on KFR suspects Jonathan Poblacion and associates, the accused all detained at the Iloilo Rehabilitation Center (IRC).
"We defense lawyers in the Jefferson Tan Kidnapping case would like to condemn in strongest terms the intelligence report of the PNP Region VI that our clients particularly Jonathan Poblacion has engaged the services of his group to assassinate or kill Honorable Judge Adriano Savillo of RTC Br 30, Iloilo City," the statement began.
"Such report is unbelievable, a product of the manipulation of our intelligence community designed to influence the outcome of the case, to insure the conviction of our clients considering the PNP Region VI is apprehensive that we might get the acquittal of our clients."
And it is all premature, the lawyers continued while adding that the Defense team are satisfied on how Judge Savillo is handling the case.
"We do not know if the prosecution share the same impression with the good Judge," the group chided
Romero for his part said it is also highly possible that the previous IRC riot led by the KFR accused could have triggered this "unbelievable intelligence report."
As such, the Defense team said, "we appeal to the authorities concerned that these people who are responsible for this irresponsible intelligence report be investigated and that proper penalty be sanctioned against them to avoid similar incident in the future."
With the alarm generated by the liquidation report and supposed involvement of the Poblacion group, Romero said the Defense panel are highly concerned of the security and safety of the accused.
"The lives of our clients are put into great peril because of this incident. Like us, they are human beings also as such they are entitled to be treated like one. Much less, they still enjoy the presumption of innocence until their guilt are proven otherwise," the statement ended.