JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has dismissed the allegations made by the camp of Negros Oriental Representative Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. as preposterous, which claimed that Justice Department officials attempted to bribe one of the alleged masterminds in the high-profile killing of provincial governor Roel Degamo.
Remulla, a former congressional representative who now serves in the Marcos administration, referred to the allegations as “baloney” and “thrash” in a chance interview.
According to Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, Teves’ counsel, they received information that Marvin Miranda was approached and offered a hefty bribe to testify against the twice suspended lawmaker.
Remulla previously asserted that Miranda played a significant role in Degamo’s assassination, referring to him as the “executive producer” in the context of a movie.
Recently, Remulla disclosed that the suspects in Degamo’s killing were allegedly offered a sum of P8 million each to retract their statements. Teves’ camp and the lawyers representing the suspects vehemently denied these allegations.
Presently, ten suspects who had previously cooperated with the investigation have submitted affidavits of recantation.
In a mixture of Filipino and English, Remulla stated, “Yes, if I’m not mistaken, our initial report indicated that they were offered P8 million each… P8 million each was offered to the suspects to make them change their statements.”
When asked about whether the suspects had received the money, Remulla replied, “I don’t know if that has happened, but according to the intelligence report, they were offered money.”
metrosundaily
