About 150 fighters of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), who participated in the siege in this city in 2013, may soon be released from prison.
City Legal Officer Jesus Carbon Jr. made this disclosure and said that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had already approved in principle the plea bargaining offer of the accused MNLF members, allowing them to plead guilty of lower charges instead.
Carbon lamented he has not yet received a copy of the DOJ approval, despite his repeated requests for such copy. He alleged that DOJ officials said they still needed a “clearance” before they could give him a copy of the approval.
He said the DOJ was of the belief that the Zamboanga siege was a public crime, and thus, warrants a plea bargaining agreement wherein the rebellion charges will be swapped with lower charges that carry lower penalties.
This alarmed Carbon, an erstwhile regional trial court judge, who expressed dismay that the 23-day siege had resulted in the loss of many lives and damage to properties in the city.
Carbon was also surprised to learn that the judge handling the MNLF cases had issued a gag order on the case.
“I did not know about this gag order,” he said.
Carbon was in Pasig City last week attending the pre-trial of the MNLF cases, and it was only then that he was informed about the judge’s gag order that apparently stemmed from his comments on the issue.
http://www.mb.com.ph/mnlf-fighters-in-2013-zambo-siege-may-be-released-from-jail-soon/
City Legal Officer Jesus Carbon Jr. made this disclosure and said that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had already approved in principle the plea bargaining offer of the accused MNLF members, allowing them to plead guilty of lower charges instead.
Carbon lamented he has not yet received a copy of the DOJ approval, despite his repeated requests for such copy. He alleged that DOJ officials said they still needed a “clearance” before they could give him a copy of the approval.
He said the DOJ was of the belief that the Zamboanga siege was a public crime, and thus, warrants a plea bargaining agreement wherein the rebellion charges will be swapped with lower charges that carry lower penalties.
This alarmed Carbon, an erstwhile regional trial court judge, who expressed dismay that the 23-day siege had resulted in the loss of many lives and damage to properties in the city.
Carbon was also surprised to learn that the judge handling the MNLF cases had issued a gag order on the case.
“I did not know about this gag order,” he said.
Carbon was in Pasig City last week attending the pre-trial of the MNLF cases, and it was only then that he was informed about the judge’s gag order that apparently stemmed from his comments on the issue.
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