Prosecutor arrested for extort attempt

MANILA, Philippines - A prosecutor of the Department of Justice (DOJ) was arrested by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents Thursday night for allegedly extorting P2.5 million from members of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) who were facing criminal charges.

Prosecutor General Claro Arellano, chief of the DOJ’s prosecution arm, confirmed yesterday that Assistant State Prosecutor Diosdado Solidum Jr. was nabbed in an entrapment operation in Quezon City.

Arellano said the NBI operation was sanctioned by the DOJ after receiving complaints from PALEA members about Solidum’s alleged demand of P2.5 million from them in exchange for the dismissal of the complaint for violation of Section 81 (b) (5) of Republic Act 9497 (Civil Aviation Authority Act of 2008) that was filed against them.

“He will be charged appropriately before the office of the Ombudsman,” the DOJ official said.

For her part, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima admitted that she authorized the NBI operation against Solidum.

“I’ve said it before and will say it again that I don’t mind undertaking such entrapment operations against our own people and suffering the consequent embarrassment for the institution, if only to send a clear and strong signal that corruption has no place in DOJ,” she said.

“I will not stop until the scalawags among the DOJ ranks, especially prosecutors, stop permanently their nefarious activities and/or they are all caught and punished. My inflexible mantra is – DOJ should be able to fulfill its mandate with zero corruption,” she said.

The case against 241 PALEA members reached the DOJ after they appealed a resolution of the Pasay City Prosecutors Office which found probable cause to charge them in court.

In their petition for review, they said the complaint involving a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) was meant to intimidate, harass, and stifle the rights of the respondents-appellants in the exercise of their constitutionally protected rights.   – Edu Punay, Aie Balagtas See