BuCor exec tagged in Percy Lapid slay breaks silence, denies involvement
MANILA, Philippines — Former Bureau of Corrections official Ricardo Zulueta, who has not been heard from for months and has been declared to be absent without leave, has finally surfaced and broke his silence to deny involvement in the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid.
“The allegations are all baseless. And this is the handiwork of drug lords who are so angry at him and [Director] General [Gerald] Bantag because they removed the undeserved privileges from the time they took over at BuCor,” Zulueta’s lawyer, Lauro Gacayan, told CNN Philippines’ “The Source” on Monday.
Gacayan added that the evidence against Zulueta is “hearsay” and “inadmissible in court.”
Gacayan said Zulueta — who, along with suspended BuCor Director General Gerald Bantag, is tagged as one of the masterminds behind Lapid’s ambush — appeared at his law office in Baguio City last Tuesday noon.
“He appeared before me and engaged my services. He said he wants to show the whole world that he’s not abroad, he’s not in hiding, he’s not dead,” Gacayan said as he noted that his client has been to Manila, Baguio and Pangasinan.
He said Zulueta has not been seen in public places because he has not received a formal copy of the complaint against him and because of threats to his life.
The lawyer added that Zulueta only received a one-page subpoena from the Department of Justice summoning him to the preliminary investigation hearing into the complaint filed over Lapid slay and only obtained a copy of the complaint from Bantag’s lawyer.
“There is no reason for him to appear if he was not provided a copy of the affidavit complaint for him to answer,” Gacayan said.
He added that he and Zulueta support Bantag’s motion for the DOJ to inhibit from the case and for it to be referred to the Office of the Ombudsman.
“We believe we are entitled to the cold neutrality of an impartial tribunal,” Gacayan said.
“With the pronouncements of the secretary of the DOJ like, ‘You should surrender. You have to face the case in court.’ That is a very clear case of prejudgment and we do not believe we will be able to obtain a fair proceedings before the panel of prosecutors appointed by the DOJ secretary.” — Xave Gregorio
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