Witness belies Leviste claim in murder trial

Government prosecutors presented in court yesterday a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agent who bared alleged inconsistencies in the testimony of former Batangas governor Jose Antonio Leviste.

Leviste, who claimed to have killed his long-time aide in self-defense more than a year ago, is being tried for murder.

Bringing with him a security logbook of LPL Towers where Leviste holds office, lawyer Romy Bun Hoy Lim contradicted claims made by the defense that victim Rafael de las Alas arrived early at the office on Jan. 12, 2007 – the day when Leviste reportedly shot and killed him.

“According to the security logbook, a certain Ka Paeng who is being pointed to as De las Alas, checked in at the building at about 11:45 a.m.,” said Lim, currently chief of the NBI Criminal Intelligence Division. Lim led the team that conducted preliminary investigation on the incident and ocular inspection of the crime scene.

Earlier, Leviste and all defense witnesses testified that De las Alas reported for work at about 9:30 a.m. that day. Leviste said this is not the usual time De las Alas arrives for work.

Lim also testified before Judge Elmo Alameda of Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150, that neither Rey Sandoval nor Dennis Amparo entered the premises of the building on that day, as alleged by the defense. 

Sandoval and Amparo were two of the defense witnesses who claimed that they heard the gunshots Leviste fired to defend himself against De las Alas.

Senior State Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco said Lim’s testimony only showed “inconsistencies in the assertion of the defense and the bias in the testimonies of its witnesses.”

However, Leviste said results of yesterday’s hearing are immaterial and irrelevant in the rebuttal phase of the trial. He added that Velasco illegally acquired the logbook when the latter barged into his office during an ocular inspection conducted by his team even without a court order.