Hearing of drug case vs. John-John gets stalled

The inability of the local prosecutors to satisfy preliminary questions from the court relative to the case that the Department of Justice has filed against former Cebu Vice Governor John Gregory Osmeña has stalled yesterday’s hearing on the motion of the accused to dismiss case and not to issue a warrant of arrest against him.

RTC Judge Meinrado Paredes wanted to explore the preceding events that led to the filing of the case for the alleged coddling of people behind the illegal importation of the 1,500 kilograms of pseudoephedrine in 2004.

Paredes asked the prosecutors led by state prosecutor Llena Ipong to define coddling and whether or not they have evidence against the former vice governor that would support the definition of coddling based on the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Law.

However, Ipong could not satisfy the court’s question saying that it was the Manila prosecutors who prepared the charge sheet. This prompted Paredes to cut short yesterday’s hearing and wait for the state prosecutors from Manila to come to answer the court’s questions.

Paredes is supposed to hear the case against today but state prosecutor Archimedes Manabat will not be available. The court will instead continue hearing Osmeña’s motion tomorrow, Friday.

Ipong said that they could not answer the judge’s question on the prior events that led to the filing of the case because it was the Manila prosecutors who conducted the preliminary investigation. The former vice governor was allegedly identified by agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency as protector of the people in the importation of controlled substances.

In the case information earlier filed, the DOJ said Osmeña willfully used his position as vice governor of the Province of Cebu in 2004 to protect people involved in the drug shipment.

PDEA agents said that Osmeña have met with George Michael Kessel or a certain “Soria”, who were allegedly members of an Australian drug syndicate, in a hotel here in the city.

Osmeña also allegedly called up then PDEA Central Visayas director Gaudencio Pagaling asking him to release the pseudoephedrine shipment.

Senior Supt. Primo Golingay, then director of compliance service of PDEA, also executed an affidavit saying Osmeña met him and asked him for assistance, promising generous monetary consideration in exchange for releasing the shipment, which came from China and was bound for Australia via Cebu courtesy of Mike Cummings and Dirk Hultz.

Cummings and Hultz are facing separate charges for illegal drug importation.

Osmeña however denied the charges and sought for the dismissal of the case for lack of evidence. — Fred P. Languido/MEEV