Fugitive Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founder Nur Misuari could go scot-free for offenses committed in relation to the deadly 2013 Zamboanga siege should he be named to lead the Moro group’s peace negotiating team with the government.
This was the fear expressed by Zamboanga City Legal Officer Jesus Carbon Jr. amid talks that President Duterte was set to have an audience with Misuari in Sulu that could set into motion the resumption of peace talks with the MNLF.
Misuari has been on exile in Sulu since the September 13, 2013 siege here that killed more than 200 MNLF men and government soldiers, and 12 civilians.
Zamboanga City mapZamboanga City map
The nearly three-week siege also displaced more than 50,000 families, some of whom have yet to return to their former homes.
“It is not a good sign for our cases. The prosecution of our cases is under the Department of Justice (DOJ) and we take our orders from DOJ,” Carbon said of the planned Duterte-Misuari meeting probably next month.
Carbon pointed out that should the Duterte-Misuari meeting push through, “the witnesses will not testify anymore in the reinvestigation of the cases.”
He added that the cases against Misuari might be dissolved if the witnesses will not testify anymore during the reinvestigation.
“(The meeting with Duterte) might lead to the dropping of Misuari from the cases, because he was not physically present during the siege. The evidence against him is by virtue of conspiracy, which should be established beyond reasonable doubt,” the city legal officer said.
“It’s not easy to prove conspiracy,” Carbon, a former regional trial court judge in this city, explained.
As such, Carbon said he was planning to meet with Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre to inform him about the charges that the city of Zamboanga has pending against Misuari and his followers.
These charges remain pending with the Regional Trial Court in Pasig City for almost three years now. The Pasig judge has set another hearing on the cases on August 9, 10 and 11. Carbon said.
http://www.mb.com.ph/misuari-could-go-unpunished-for-zambo-siege-involvement/
This was the fear expressed by Zamboanga City Legal Officer Jesus Carbon Jr. amid talks that President Duterte was set to have an audience with Misuari in Sulu that could set into motion the resumption of peace talks with the MNLF.
Misuari has been on exile in Sulu since the September 13, 2013 siege here that killed more than 200 MNLF men and government soldiers, and 12 civilians.
Zamboanga City mapZamboanga City map
The nearly three-week siege also displaced more than 50,000 families, some of whom have yet to return to their former homes.
“It is not a good sign for our cases. The prosecution of our cases is under the Department of Justice (DOJ) and we take our orders from DOJ,” Carbon said of the planned Duterte-Misuari meeting probably next month.
Carbon pointed out that should the Duterte-Misuari meeting push through, “the witnesses will not testify anymore in the reinvestigation of the cases.”
He added that the cases against Misuari might be dissolved if the witnesses will not testify anymore during the reinvestigation.
“(The meeting with Duterte) might lead to the dropping of Misuari from the cases, because he was not physically present during the siege. The evidence against him is by virtue of conspiracy, which should be established beyond reasonable doubt,” the city legal officer said.
“It’s not easy to prove conspiracy,” Carbon, a former regional trial court judge in this city, explained.
As such, Carbon said he was planning to meet with Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre to inform him about the charges that the city of Zamboanga has pending against Misuari and his followers.
These charges remain pending with the Regional Trial Court in Pasig City for almost three years now. The Pasig judge has set another hearing on the cases on August 9, 10 and 11. Carbon said.
http://www.mb.com.ph/misuari-could-go-unpunished-for-zambo-siege-involvement/
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