Businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang and several others named as respondents in the multiple murder and serious illegal detention complaints related to the “missing sabungeros” cases have been ordered to submit their counter-affidavits no later than November 3.
Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Charlie Guhit, who leads the panel investigating the charges, said on Monday, Sept. 29, that failure to appear or file the required documents will result in the complaints being submitted for resolution.
Should the panel find probable cause, formal charges will be filed in court.
Of the 61 respondents, only actress Gretchen Barretto has filed her counter-affidavit. She denied the allegations against her.
The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) panel of prosecutors started last Sept. 18 its preliminary investigation on the complaints filed by the families of the victims.
Guhit explained that the other respondents were given more time to submit counter-affidavits since the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) has not completed the submission of evidence.
He said that the PNP-CIDG submitted during the hearing of the case last week USB flash drives that contained evidence against the respondents as well as the affidavits of witnesses.
Guhit declined to reveal the contents of the USB flash drives and to identify the other respondents.
He also said the PNP-CIDG will be submitting more evidence during another hearing set this Wednesday, Oct. 1. (Jeffrey Damicog)
