Peter Lim ordered arrested over drug case

MANILA, Philippines — A Makati regional trial court (RTC) yesterday ordered the arrest of Cebuano businessman Peter Lim on the charge of illegal drug trade conspiracy filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) against him last week.

Makati RTC Branch 65 Judge Gina Bibat-Palamos ordered the arrest of Lim and three other accused – detained drug trader Kerwin Espinosa, state witness Marcelo Adorco and Rule Malindangan – after just two working days since the DOJ filed the case against them for violation of Sections 26 (b) in relation to Section 5, Article II of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act).

Espinosa is under the custody of Witness Protection Program while also facing other drug cases before the Manila RTC, while Adorco is under the custody of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG). Malindangan, on the other hand, remains at large.

The RTC set the arraignment of the accused on the non-bailable charges in a hearing on Aug. 28 at 1:30 a.m.

In a separate order, the court also set for hearing on Friday the urgent motion of the DOJ for issuance of a hold departure order against Lim to prevent him from leaving the country.

The DOJ indicted Lim on Aug. 10 after finding probable cause in the complaint filed by the PNP-CIDG, which was earlier dismissed by a previous panel of prosecutors.

The new panel, chaired by Senior Associate State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera, cited as evidence Espinosa’s confession at the Senate – the transcript of which was submitted to the investigating prosecutors for the new probe – and Adorco’s identification of Lim.

The DOJ cited as the most serious part of allegation in the charge of conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading is the “agreement to trade in drugs” as it rejected the claim of Lim that he could not be held criminally liable in the absence of illegal drugs as evidence. 

“The drugs themselves as corpus delicti (“body of crime”) of drug trading are not essential under Section 26 (b) of the law,” the DOJ added.

The panel also cited Lim’s defense that he is not “Jaguar” as immaterial since he was identified by Adorco and Espinosa.

Last month, the DOJ filed three separate counts of conspiracy to commit illegal drug trade against Espinosa, Malindangan, convicted drug lord Peter Co and Lovely Impal.