Salapuddin wants recall of arrest warrant

MANILA, Philippines – Former Basilan Rep. Gerry Salapuddin yesterday asked a Quezon City court to recall the arrest warrant issued against him for his alleged participation in the bombing at the Batasan Pambansa in 2007.

Salapuddin’s lawyer, Bonifacio Granada, said in an omnibus motion filed before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 83 that the arrest warrant issued against the former lawmaker “suffers from want and lack of legal and factual basis.”

“With all due respect, the Honorable Court may not issue a warrant against herein movant simply because he has been exclused from the information by order of the Honorable Court dated July 18, 2008,” the motion stated.

Judge Ralph Lee issued the arrest warrant on Friday last week, saying the Supreme Court has not issued any temporary restraining order or any remedy to stop the issuance of the warrant of arrest despite the fact that the petition for review has been pending before it for a year. Lee said the arrest warrant was without prejudice to the final resolution of the petition pending before the SC.

The former lawmaker, his former driver Ikram Indama and five others are facing multiple murder and frustrated murder charges before the court.

The bombing killed six people, including his political rival and Basilan Rep. Wahab Akbar, who was perceived to be the main target of the attack, and injured several others.

Indama had admitted that he parked a motorcyle carrying the explosives near the exit of the south wing of the House of Representatives in Quezon City before the explosion.

Lee had issued an arrest warrant in 2008 but this was lifted after the Department of Justice came out with a resolution excluding Salapuddin from the charge sheet. The prosecution brought the case to the Court of Appeals, which reversed the ruling, prompting the defense to elevate the case to the SC.

Salapuddin’s camp also questioned the day the arrest warrant was issued and said: “With all due respect, courts does not (sic) issue and release warrants of arrest during Fridays.”