Taguba skips start of DOJ probe into P6.4-B shabu mess

MANILA, Philippines – Mark Taguba, who claims to be a customs broker, was a no show at the first day of the Department of Justice probe into a drug complaint filed against him and eight others over a P6.4-billion shabu shipment that slipped through Customs.

Aside from Taguba, the following face complaints for violation of Section 4 (Importation of Dangerous Drugs and/or Controlled Precursors and Essential Chemicals) of Republic Act 9165 or Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002:

• Chen Ju Long also known as "Richard Chen”
• Dong Yi Shen aka "Kenneth Dong”
• Li Guang Feng aka "Manny Li"
• Fidel Anoche Dee
• Chen I. Min
• Jhu Ming Jyun
• Teejay A. Marcellana
• Eirene May A. Tatad

The National Bureau of Investigation's Anti-Organized and Transnational Crime Division also filed complaints for alleged violation of the Customs Brokers Act of 2004 against Taguba, Li and Dong.

Taguba, however, did not appear before the DOJ on the first day of the preliminary investigation into the drug raps.

His lawyer, Raymond Fortun went to the DOJ on his behalf.

After the hearing, Fortun was quoted saying that his clients Taguba and Marcellana, were not required to attend this morning’s hearing.

“Important lang kapag manunumpa na sa counter-affidavit,” Fortun added.

Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Aristotle Reyes gave Taguba, Marcellana and businessman Tan until September 25 – the next hearing on the case – to file their respective counter-affidavits.

The case stemmed from the shabu shipment from China amounting to P6.4 billion that was discovered last May 26 by members of the BOC and NBI at a warehouse in Valenzuela City.

Taguba, who appeared before Senate and House probes into the issue, claimed that several ranking officials of the BOC can be bribed to facilitate the release of shipments.

During hearings at the Senate, Taguba mentioned Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte and lawyer Manases Carpio, the husband of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio but said he had not met them.

“I had never testified, nor will I ever testify that Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte and/or Attorney Manse Carpio were involved in the shipment of illegal drugs into the country,” Taguba said in a statement earlier this month.

Nicanor Faeldon, since resigned as Customs commissioner, is currently embroiled in corruption allegations connected to the shabu shipment. On Monday, he filed an ethics complaint against Senator Panfilo Lacson over a privilege speech that accused Faeldon of being part of the alleged “tara” system at the bureau.

READ: Faeldon files ethics complaint over Lacson's 'tara' speech

“Subjects, through their indispensable cooperation, caused the importation of five wooden crates from China. These crates contain cylinders packed with a total of 605 transparent plastic bags containing methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, a dangerous drug,” the NBI complaint against the nine reads.