The Bureau of Immigration (BI) confirmed Wednesday that it has no record of former congressman Zaldy Co’s aide, John Paul Estrada, leaving the country, contradicting claims made by former congressman Mike Defensor.
To recall, Defensor alleged earlier this week that Estrada and his wife had been flown to Chile.
“Upon initial verification, we have found no record of any departure incident involving the individual in question,” said BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval.
“Nonetheless, we are conducting a thorough review of the matter and will submit our findings to the Department of Justice and other concerned authorities,” she added.
Defensor made the initial claims on 17 November during the second day of the INC rally. He alleged that Estrada was illegally detained and beaten by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) before being sent to Chile.
Defensor later claimed to have “them (Estrada and his wife).”
The NBI had previously denied the allegations in a statement released Monday.
“These allegations are unfounded, unsupported by evidence, and purely speculative,” the NBI said, adding, “No complaint, report, or medical record exists showing that Mr. Estrada or his wife suffered physical harm. There is no record of their custody under the NBI.”
The NBI also publicly called on Defensor to “present verifiable evidence, and not hearsay.”