|
|
|
$10-M bribe bought al-Ghozi's freedom
The Manila Times 18 Jul 2003 - By Anthony Vargas, Correspondent
The escape of the Indonesian bomber and two other terrorists on Monday has sparked a shadow war at the Philippine National Police, taking its toll on one of its top officials.
An anonymous caller to a radio station on Thursday alleged that a top official of the PNP facilitated the escape of Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi and two others in exchange for a large sum of money.
A mystery man who called himself "Sulaiman," claiming to be a member of the Jakarta-based Ali Rahman Group, told RMN News that Deputy Director General Virtuz Gil and Supt. Guillermo Danipog were behind the escape of the three terrorists.
Gil is the third highest ranked official in the PNP.
"Sulaiman" said in the interview that Gil received $10 million in exchange for the escape of al-Ghozi, a member of the Jemaah Islamiah and confessed ringleader of the group that bombed Metro Manila on December 30, 2000.
Gil is the concurrent PNP deputy chief for operation and a top contender to succeed Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. Danipog was one of the police officers earlier charged with negligence in the custody of prisoners.
Sulaiman said that it was Gil who turned over al-Ghozi to his group after they escaped from detention on Monday morning.
The Times tried to get the side of Gil on the issue but he would not comment, saying he had been told to remain silent. "I'm sorry I cannot answer that question."
In an earlier interview with radio stations dzBB and dzMM, Gil vehemently denied the accusation hurled against him by Sulaiman, saying it was part of a demolition job against him.
Gil suspects that whoever is behind this smear campaign against him wants to be appointed to the top post of the PNP. "I'm ready to face any investigation into this." He challenged Sulaiman to come out and show proof to back up his accusation.
Director Eduardo Matillano, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, said CIDG would also investigate the issue.
"We have asked the radio station to give us a copy of the tape interview so we can evaluate it," Matillano said.
The PNP is coordinating with its Indonesian counterpart to check reports that the escapees had slipped out of the country and are in the custody of a shadowy terrorist group in Jakarta.
Defense Secretary Angelo T. Reyes said reports on al-Ghozi's presence in Jakarta would remain mere speculations unless an official report has been received by Philippine defense officials from their Indonesian counterparts. "What we want to know is if our Indonesian counterparts have received the same report," Reyes said. He called Sulaiman's accusation "extremely wild."
"To say that a three-star general is involved in something like that is extremely wild. I don't think I can believe that," Reyes said.
Still, the department is looking into al-Ghozi's whereabouts and his links with the Ali Rahman Group.
A check with the US State Department website showed that there is no Ali Rahman Group on its list of 257 foreign terrorist organizations.
Military officials, who declined to be identified, believed the Ali Rahman Group is a fictitious organization concocted by PNP insiders to discredit Gil, who is reportedly one of the strong contenders to replace Ebdane as PNP chief.
Reyes said the military is also exerting efforts to recapture al-Ghozi's companions, Abu Sayyaf members Abdulmukin Edris and Mehran Abante.
"Those two came from Mindanao and we are tracking them based on what we know. We are doing everything we can. That's what I can promise," he said without elaborating.
Reyes admitted that the escape of the three terrorists is a big blow to the government's drive against terrorism. He welcomed proposals that the cells in Camp Aguinaldo be used for arrested terrorists.
President Arroyo acknowledged Thursday that corruption might be behind the escape of high-profile detainees from their Camp Crame cells, and threatened to overhaul the police leadership.
The President did not defend the PNP at all from charges by Australian newspapers that police corruption facilitated the escape of the terrorists on Monday.
The three terrorists escaped while Australiam Prime Minister John Howard was in Manila discussing with President Arroyo measures to combat terrorism.
The President noted that corruption in the PNP has eaten into the security of the nation and could account for the escape of at least five prominent Crame detainees over the past year.
Mrs. Arroyo rejected the "worn-out" excuse that only a few scalawags in the PNP are involved in corruption. "I hold the PNP chief and the entire leadership of the PNP accountable for resolving the problem of police corruption once and for all," she said. "If no results are forthcoming, I will not hesitate to undertake a top-to-bottom revamp."
She said she is determined to get into the root cause of this case "no matter who gets hurt."
Presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said that the public should support the move to weed out corruption in the PNP. He doesn't think that a total revamp of the police leadership would fuel unrest in the PNP and lead to political instability.
Bunye said that all police officers who have public service at heart should welcome the "earnest" move of the President to curb the "well-entrenched" regime of corruption in the service.
The President on Wednesday ordered the creation of a fact-finding commission to investigate the escape of the terrorists. She gave it 30 days from its constitution within which to submit its findings.
Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo chose Sedfrey Ordoņez, former justice secretary and human-rights activist, to lead the team. Justice Secretary Simeon Datumanong will sit as one of its members. With Efren Danao, Karl B. Kaufman and Joel R. San Juan
Corruption cited in Philippine escapes
Associated Press 17 Jul 2003 - By TERESA CEROJANO. MANILA, Philippines (AP)
The Philippine president said Thursday that police corruption likely led to the escape from prison of three terror suspects, including a top bomb expert, and threatened to shake up the police force.
The escape of Indonesian Fathur Roman al-Ghozi, an alleged bomb expert of the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah group, along with two other suspects has been an embarrassing blow to the Philippine government's high-profile role in the U.S.-led war on terrorism.
A regional hunt for al-Ghozi continued with Philippine authorities checking a claim that he slipped back to Jakarta with the help of a top Filipino police general.
"I acknowledge the serious problem of corruption in the police organization and I am making no excuses for it," President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said in statement.
She said it was "highly probable" that corruption played a part in the escapes from a high-security jail in the Philippine National Police's main camp. Two other prominent detainees have escaped from the same camp over the past year.
She told the police leadership to "shape up or ship out, and I will not hesitate to undertake a top-to-bottom revamp if no results are forthcoming." Those responsible for al-Ghozi's escape will be dealt with "no matter who gets hurt," she said.
Manila alerted neighboring countries, particularly Indonesia and Malaysia, to be on the lookout for Al-Ghozi, who is accused of involvement in deadly bombings in Manila. Filipino investigators filed a criminal complaint Wednesday against four guards over the escapes.
On Thursday, a man who identified himself as Solaiman called the Radio Mindanao Network in the Philippines and claimed his group, called Ali Rahman, was holding Al-Ghozi in Jakarta.
The caller claimed Al-Ghozi was turned over to his group by Virtus Gil - the name of the Philippine National Police's deputy chief - and suggested his group was ready to hand back Al-Ghozi to Manila in exchange for $10 million.
Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes said the man's claim was "extremely wild," but that he would nevertheless check the report with Indonesian officials.
Gil angrily denied the caller's allegation as "character assassination." Police spokesman Col. Zainuri Lubis called the claim "untrue, confusing and ridiculous."
Š 1996 - 2003 Las Vegas Sun, Inc.