Seized sports car confirmed to be right-hand-drive

Technical representatives from the Toyota Motors Inc. yesterday confirmed that the Toyota MR-S sports car seized from the yard of shop dealer Russ Jao was a right-hand-drive vehicle.

This was manifested in a letter received by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group yesterday afternoon from Romeo Abe, superintendent of the Toyota Shop Cebu following an inspection conducted by Toyota last Saturday at the CIDG headquarters. The car is presently under the custody of CIDG.

Jao cried foul over the seizure of the sports car, as it was not included in the search warrant during the CIDG raid on his yard in barangay Kinasang-an a few weeks ago.

But the CIDG countered that Jao violated Republic Act 8506 that prohibits the importation, registration and driving of right-hand-drive vehicles. The car was registered with the regional office of Land Transportation Office On December 1, 2004 under the name of Iole Jao.

After the raid, CIDG chief Oscar Catalan explained that the report they received stated that a van containing right-hand-drive vehicles arrived at the yard in the morning of August 5.

Upong confirming the report, the CIDG applied for a search warrant at 3 p.m. that day, but it took two hours later for it to conduct the raid. Catalan said that before the operatives reached the yard, the van that reportedly contained the right-hand-drive vehicles was already moved.

Based on the search warrant, a Nissan Terrano, a Mitsubishi Pajero, a Toyota Surf, a Toyota Land Cruiser and an Isuzu Big Horn Trooper were the subject for confiscation by the CIDG.

Jao had asked the court for the return of the car to his custody because the seizure was illegal, as it was not included in the search warrant. - Ryan P. Borinaga