Kerwin Espinosa. | File photo
TACLOBAN CITY — Administrative charges are being prepared against the seven police officers considered “persons of interest” in the April 10 shooting of confessed drug lord and mayoral candidate Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa.
Colonel Dionisio Apas Jr., Leyte provincial police director, said he expected the administrative charges to be resolved sooner than the criminal cases.
“During our command conference, it was emphasized that administrative charges must also be filed against them, and if found guilty, they should be dismissed from service,” he said in an interview.
READ: Gomez on Kerwin’s allegation: ‘Don’t believe somebody like him’
“We anticipate that once the administrative proceedings are in motion, they will move faster than the criminal complaints,” he added.
The Leyte police filed on April 14 charges of illegal possession of firearms and violation of the Commission on Elections gun ban against the seven police officers before the Leyte Provincial Prosecutor’s Office.
This came after nine of the 14 firearms surrendered by the arrested police officers, who were just about 200 meters away from the crime scene when the shooting happened, were found unregistered and lacked proper documentation.
But paraffin tests conducted on the seven police officers showed no traces of gunpowder on their hands.
Murder complaint
Apas stressed that the cases they filed against the respondents were just “initial” as investigators continued to pursue leads for the possible filing of frustrated murder complaints against the seven police officers.
These police officers were inside a private compound in Barangay Tinag-an, Albuera town, Leyte to reportedly serve an arrest warrant against a certain individual on April 10–the same day Espinosa was shot and wounded.
It was still unclear if the seven police officers, who were under restrictive custody at the Philippine National Police-Eastern Visayas regional headquarters in Palo town, Leyte, had a hand in the shooting of Espinosa.
Apas said the investigators were careful in preparing the cases so that the prosecutors or judges would not dismiss them for lack of evidence.
“There must be certainty of conviction,” he said, stressing that complete and credible evidence should back any case.
Apas called on the Espinosa camp to cooperate by presenting any witnesses who could help prove that the seven police officers had something to do with the shooting, which also injured the sister of the mayoral candidate and running mate, Mariel Espinosa Marinay, and a daughter of one of their candidates for councilor.
“If they have witnesses, they should send them to us so we can resolve this incident early,” he said.
Apas said they had yet to determine the motive behind the attempt on Espinosa’s life.
“We are looking into several possible motives. As of now, we cannot establish or ascertain a particular motive,” he said.
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