Fresh charges jeopardize Boying’s Ombudsman bid

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, along with other Cabinet and police officials, has been hit with new criminal complaints, including kidnapping, just days after the Ombudsman dismissed similar charges related to the alleged illegal arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte in March.

The complaint was filed by the lawyers of Davao City Acting Mayor Sebastian Duterte on Monday before the Ombudsman for Mindanao, accusing the officials of eight counts each of kidnapping and arbitrary detention, violating the Anti-Torture Act (RA 9745), qualified direct assault, expulsion, two counts of violating certain rights of persons arrested (RA 7438), usurpation, and graft (RA 3019).

This was in connection with the arrest of his father and his delivery to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands.

The respondents included Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty, former Philippine National Police chiefs General Nicolas Torre III and Rommel Marbil, Markus Lacanilao, Anthony Alcantara, Richard Anthony Fadullon and Brig. General Jean Fajardo.

Aside from criminal complaints, the younger Duterte also charged them with administrative offenses, namely, serious dishonesty, gross neglect of duty, grave misconduct, disloyalty, oppression (grave abuse of authority), and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service.

The complaint was filed after the Ombudsman dismissed a similar case brought by Senator Imee Marcos in May.

Mayor Duterte insisted the arrest of his father was illegal and was a kidnapping in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

“He was arrested without grounds, and his arrest was not made with the proper procedure established by the law and the rules,” the 160-page complaint read.

Moreover, Duterte said the warrant was invalid, claiming it was illegally issued through the Interpol by the ICC, which had no jurisdiction over the Philippines since March 2019.