Interpol 'red notice' does not mean Lacson's arrest

MANILA, Philippines - The red notice issued by the International Police (Interpol) against Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who is wanted for double murder charges, would not mean immediate arrest of the senator, said a police official.

The senior police official, who spoke on anonymity for lack of authority to speak about the case, said the red notice should be supported with a letter from the requesting country for “provisional arrest in view of the person’s extradition.”

“There was a wrong notion that the red notice issued by the Interpol is enough to arrest Sen. Lacson. His warrant of arrest could only be implemented here and it has no bearing on other countries,” said the source.

The Interpol has 188 member countries but not all of them have an extradition treaty with the Philippines.

Under the procedure, police authorities of a country that has an extradition treaty spots a person listed in the red notice, they will just notify Philippine officials about the presence of the person and ask what they should do with him.

Earlier, National of Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Nestor Mantaring confirmed that Lacson has left Hong Kong and is now hiding in another country.

Mantaring, however, did not say why the NBI did not ask the Hong Kong police to arrest Lacson before he could leave the country.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said it is ready to arrest Lacson, who has warrants of arrest for the murder of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000.   – Cecille Suerte Felipe