Massacre witnesses bribed to recant testimony vs Ampatuan?

MANILA, Philippines — Two prosecution witnesses in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre case claimed to have been offered money to recant their testimonies against primary suspect Andal Ampatuan Jr.

Witnesses Abdulsatar Maliwawaw and Faisal Amilil claimed that they were offered P150,000 each.

In separate sworn affidavits obtained by The STAR, Maliwawaw and Amilil said a barangay chairman – purportedly a representative of Ampatuan – approached them in August and made the offer.

They claimed that the local official also approached prosecution witness Thonti Lawani, who recently recanted his testimony that he personally saw Ampatuan at the scene of the massacre.

Lawani claimed that he was pressured to initially testify against Ampatuan by Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, whose wife, sisters and aides died in the Nov. 23, 2009 incident.

Lawani said he did not see Ampatuan giving orders to his commanders near the site.

Nena Santos, lawyer for Mangudadatu, asked the Quezon City Regional Trial Court handling the multiple murder case to allow them to present Maliwawaw and Amilil as rebuttal witnesses.

She said their testimonies would put into question the veracity of the claims made by Lawani.

“There is no doubt that the judicial affidavit of Thonti Lawani dated Sept. 5, 2018 is a fabrication because of the payments made to him by Ampatuan,” read the four-page motion filed by Santos.

She also denied allegations that Lawani was held hostage by Mangudadatu, noting that he was under the witness protection program vetted by the Department of Justice.

Santos also submitted a job application form supposedly filled out by Lawani in 2014, which named Mangudadatu as the person to contact in case of emergencies.

Sought for comment, Ampatuan’s lawyer Raymond Fortun described the allegations as “amusing.”

In their sworn affidavits, Maliwawaw and Amilil claimed that the payments should they agree to recant their testimonies would be divided into three: first before they fly to Manila to issues their affidavits, second after being presented on the witness stand and third after cross examination.

They claimed that the last two tranches of payments would be personally made by Ampatuan, who is being held at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.

In 2014, Ampatuan claimed to have been facing financial constraints as he asked the court for more time to look for new lawyers.

He has since tapped the Fortun and Santos Law Offices, the firm of the brother of his former lawyer Sigfrid Fortun.

Ampatuan is among 197 individuals initially charged for the massacre that left 58 people dead, including 32 media workers.