NBI: Peter Lim ‘declined’ drug test

CEBU, Philippines - Peter Lim, the businessman from Cebu facing allegations of  drug links, begged off from going through a drug test with the National Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday.

Lim's lawyer, Ramon Esguerra, told the NBI that his client has opted to turn down the bureau's "challenge" that the businessman submit himself to a drug test, NBI spokesman Ferdinand Lavin said in a report published by the Manila Times Online yesterday.

"His lawyer told us that his client has deferred our request," Lavin was quoted as saying in the report. Whether this meant the request had been totally disregarded or Lim just wanted to postpone the conduct of the test, the NBI official could not tell just yet.

The FREEMAN tried to reach Lim's camp last night for comment on the matter but there was no reply from the businessman's end.

Lim appeared before the NBI central office in Manila last Thursday to express his willingness to undergo investigation in hopes of clearing his name.

President Duterte earlier tagged a certain "Peter Lim" as one of the high-profile drug personalities in the country, heading the Visayas drug ring of the so-called Hong Kong 14-K triad.

A week later, the Cebu-based businessman met the president in Davao City where he was told to submit himself to a probe so he could prove his innocence.

After Lim's appearance at the NBI, an initial investigation was made and a fact-finding was created to look into his case.

Lavin said they are expecting Lim to return to their office soon with additional documents asked by the NBI. Although he did not specify what these documents were, Lavin hinted that they had something to do with Lim's businesses.

Lim, in an earlier interview, maintained he was not the "Peter Lim" referred to by Duterte.

"The Peter Lim mentioned by the president was clearly not me. How could it be me? The president said that Peter Lim (the drug lord) frequently travels in and out of the country. He even said he will kill him if he lands in NAIA. As for me, all the while, I was just here in Cebu," Lim said.

He showed The FREEMAN news clippings and an article that came out in The Philippine STAR in July 1997 about an exposé made by Senator Tito Sotto mentioning a certain Barry Luk, alias "Peter Lim," who was allegedly involved in drugs.

Lim believed this could be one of the reasons why intelligence reports have linked his name to the illegal drug trade. (FREEMAN)