Police checking if Jamiri received P3 million to recant
Was former Tuburan, Basilan mayor Hajarun Jamiri paid to retract his statement?
Police sources said they are checking intelligence information that Jamiri was given P3 million to recant his first two affidavits in which he implicated several personalities in the Nov. 13 bombing of the House of Representatives that killed Basilan Rep. Wahab Akbar and four others, and wounded several others.
“There was intelligence information about the P3 million, which the police are now trying to establish,” a source told The STAR on condition of anonymity. “You see, P3 million is P3 million.”
However, Jamiri’s legal counsel Eduardo Arriba branded as an “absolute lie” the police information that his client was paid to change his statement.
“My client’s primary concern was because he doesn’t want to implicate innocent people in the bombing.”
They will submit at the “proper time” more evidence to support the retraction of Jamiri, Arriba said.
On the other hand, Senior Superintendent Asher Dolina, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief, said Jamiri’s retraction would not affect the charges filed against him and the other suspects in the Batasan blast.
“We have several pieces of physical evidence, which were gathered through the help of Jamiri, including the second motorcycle which was also designed to carry a bomb,” he said. “How can he deny that?”
Police might file perjury charges against Jamiri on top of the multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder charges, Dolina said.
Meanwhile, lawyer Confesor Sansano whom police assigned to assist Jamiri when he signed his first affidavit that he is now retracting, said Jamiri did not have any torture marks when he talked with him at
“I am duty bound to testify in court on the integrity of the investigation,” he said.
“Jamiri did not have any injury when he gave his first and second affidavits. The bruises and contusions he was showing the court and the media could have been self–inflicted. It’s not hard to do.
“I even asked him to take off his clothes to be sure that he did not have any torture marks and I didn’t see any. During our meeting, I was convinced that he was sincere and telling the truth.”
Sansano said Jamiri asked him if he could become a state witness after the case is filed in court.
“I told him that he has go through the process,” he said.
“Before he gave his first statement last Nov. 20, I had a close door (meeting) with Jamiri in one of the rooms of the CIDG with his handcuffs removed.”
Sansano said on Nov. 23, he was informed by police that Jamiri wanted to execute a supplemental affidavit to identify major players in the Batasan bombing.
It was then that he met Ryan Ybañez, who claimed that he would be representing Jamiri, he added.
Sansano said Ybañez was present when Jamiri implicated several other personalities in the attack on the legislative building.
“But when I told him to sign the documents to indicate that he would assume as the legal counsel, Attorney Ybañez refused to sign,” he said.
Jamiri’s arraignment postponed
The Manila Regional Trial Court yesterday postponed the arraignment of Jamiri to pave the way for his preliminary investigation on charges of illegal possession of firearms.
Judge Virgilio Alameda of Manila RTC Branch 10 granted yesterday morning the motion of preliminary investigation filed by Jamiri last Dec. 3.
Jamiri was not present in the courtroom yesterday, but his lawyer manifested that his client “was around,” but for security reasons he would not appear in court “unless required by the judge,” according to branch clerk of court Rey Inciong.
After the case was sent back to the Prosecutor’s Office for preliminary investigation, the court decided to put the arraignment on hold.
Jamiri posted a cash bond of P80,000 before the court for his temporary liberty.
Under court procedures, Jamiri is entitled to a preliminary investigation within five days after receiving a copy of the charges.
Police said they seized from Jamiri an unlicensed Colt .45 caliber pistol, three pieces of magazines and 25 pieces of live ammunition for a .45 caliber.
A check with the Firearms Explosive Division showed that the 49-year-old Jamiri was not issued a Permit to Carry Firearm Outside Residence.
The complainants were Senior Police Officer 1 Robert Chua, Police Officer 3 Edward DL Catalan, Police Officer 3 Ronald Arga, Police Officer 2 Joel Padua, and Police Officer 1 Lhuis Coronel.
Investigation showed that at
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