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Iran reporter who interviewed Amini father says freed from jail
An Iranian journalist handed a two-year jail sentence after interviewing the father of the woman whose custody death sparked months of protests said Sunday she had been released from prison. After her release from Tehran's Evin prison, Nazila Maroufian defiantly posted a picture of herself on social media without a headscarf, flouting the Islamic Republic's strict dress code for women. "Don't accept slavery, you deserve the best," she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram. The picture showed her clutching flowers in one hand with her other hand raised in a victory sign. Maroufian, whose age is given by Persian media outside Iran as 23, in October published an interview on the Mostaghel Online news site with Amjad Amini. He is the father of Mahsa Amini, whose death in custody last September after she allegedly violated the dress rules sparked months of protests. In the interview, Amjad Amini accused authorities of lying about the circumstances of his daughter's death. Iranian authorities have indicated she died because of a health problem, but the family and activists have said she suffered a blow to the head while in custody. Maroufian, a Tehran-based journalist but from Amini's hometown of Saqez in Kurdistan province, was first arrested in November. Health scare She was later released but in January said she had been sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for five years, on charges of propaganda against the system and spreading false news. According to rights groups, Maroufian was again ordered back to Evin prison in early July. There was major concern over her health earlier this month when supporters said she had been taken from prison to hospital. But in her social media post, Maroufian denied having had a heart attack and said she had suffered "shortness of breath and heart palpitations" and was now "fine". Iran has reacted harshly to reporting inside the country on the Amini case. The two women journalists who helped to bring the story to the world's attention have now spent almost a year in Evin after being arrested in September. Niloufar Hamedi reported for Iran's Shargh newspaper from the hospital where Amini languished in a coma for three days before she died, and Elahe Mohammadi, a reporter for the Ham Mihan newspaper, went to Saqez to report on Amini's funeral. Both are now on trial on charges of violating national security, which they vehemently deny. According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, 95 reporters were arrested in the crackdown on the Amini protests, although most have now been released on bail. Last week the Iranian authorities summoned the British ambassador, Simon Shercliff, after he called on Tehran to release detained journalists, in social media post to mark National Journalists' Day in Iran. The post Iran reporter who interviewed Amini father says freed from jail appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried jailed after bail revoked
A US federal judge on Friday ordered FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried back to prison after prosecutors argued he had violated the conditions of his bail and tampered with witnesses, less than two months before his trial. Bankman-Fried, 31, has pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, as well as election finance violations, in connection with the spectacular collapse of his cryptocurrency firm. US District Judge Lewis Kaplan directed Bankman-Fried back into federal custody citing "probable cause... that the defendant has committed the federal crime of attempted witness tampering," the ruling said. Prosecutors argued that Bankman-Fried's activities as a source for The New York Times amounted to witness intimidation, citing an article containing private writings of Caroline Ellison, who formerly worked at Alameda Research. Ellison, who was romantically involved with Bankman-Fried, is a cooperating witness in the government's case. Bankman-Fried is due to go on trial in early October. FTX and its sister trading house Alameda Research went bankrupt in November, dissolving a virtual trading business that at one point had been valued by the market at $32 billion. Prosecutors allege Bankman-Fried -- who had been released on $250 million bail and confined to his parents' California home before Friday's ruling -- cheated investors and misused funds that belonged to FTX and Alameda Research clients. The former FTX chief had appeared on the covers of finance and tech magazines, with Fortune likening him to Warren Buffett, and drew in huge investments from prominent fund managers and venture capitalists. But it all imploded dramatically in when a media report said Alameda's balance sheet was heavily built on a token created by FTX with no independent value -- and exposed Bankman-Fried's companies as being dangerously interlinked. Bankman-Fried was arrested at his apartment in the Bahamas on 12 December at the request of federal prosecutors in New York. A Bahamas permanent resident, he spent nine days in prison, weighing his choices before deciding not to fight extradition to the United States. The post FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried jailed after bail revoked appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Teves could join legislative proceedings, but only if he asks
During a hearing on Tuesday, hours before Arnie Teves was designated as a terrorist by the Anti-Terrorism Council through Resolution 43, Manila Rep. Benny Abante, a panel member, said Teves could join proceedings in the House of Representatives via personal request. The House ethics and privileges panel, which jurisdiction includes administrative complaints and issues filed against House members, will let suspended lawmaker Teves participate in legislative proceedings via videoconferencing only if he would make a "personal request." "Because we have a rule here that must appear [in person]. The ruling here is this if any congressman would like to make use of the videoconferencing, he has to make a personal request on that and the reason why," Abante said. He underscored that Teves is not excluded from this privilege, which is afforded to all members of the House. "If he wants to participate with us through video conferencing, then he must make a personal request, not through his lawyers. He himself personally," Abante stressed. The lawmaker made the remark, notwithstanding that Teves has since pleaded that he be allowed to attend legislative proceedings via teleconference but has been denied. To recall, Teves lambasted the House leadership, questioning why colleagues were allowed to join meetings, sessions, and hearings through video teleconferencing while he was not. He had earlier cried over being considered absent--that later resulted in a twice suspension-- despite attending the legislative proceedings via teleconference, which he lamented was permitted by Congress. The lawmaker, who was being tagged as the "mastermind" behind the murder of his political foe, Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo, and nine others on 4 March, has been headstrong in his decision not to return home and physically attend the House ethics panel motu proporio, citing serious threats to his life. Ako Bicol Rep. Raul Angelo Bongalon, the panel's vice chairperson, in the same hearing, echoed Abante's comment, citing Speaker Martin Romualdez's recent order that "all the congressmen are required to attend physically or face to face all activities here in Congress" following the lifting of State of Public Health Emergency. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., through Proclamation No. 297 issued on 21 July, ordered the lifting of the state of public health emergency that had previously been declared throughout the country owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, which had claimed thousands of lives. "That's why he (Teves) has to make a request personal to the Office of Speaker or to the Secretary-General to avail the videoconferencing," Bongalon said. The panel chairperson, Rep. Felimon Espares, meanwhile, stressed that "he needs to report [for work] here in the House," citing the lawmaker's expired travel clearance. "He left with an approved travel authority which already lapsed, so he needs to show up here,” Espares noted. The panel chairman thus explained that Teves has no reason to hide since there is no arrest warrant yet against him. The post Teves could join legislative proceedings, but only if he asks appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Prince Harry lawsuit against The Sun tabloid set for trial
Prince Harry's lawsuit against The Sun tabloid alleging unlawful information gathering can go to trial but will not include phone hacking claims, a High Court judge ruled on Thursday. Harry, 38, whose official title is Duke of Sussex, is suing several UK newspapers over alleged unlawful information-gathering, including News Group Newspapers -- publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World tabloids. NGN is part of Rupert Murdoch's global publishing empire and had asked the High Court in London to throw out the claims -- filed by Harry alongside actor Hugh Grant -- arguing they were out of time. But judge Timothy Fancourt ordered that Harry's case can go to trial, concluding NGN had "succeeded in part on its application" related to time limits around alleged phone hacking but "failed on the remaining part". Hugh Grant learned in May that he had won his court bid to bring to trial his claim against NGN, while other high-profile claimants are also pursuing the newspaper group. "A trial of the claims of the Duke and many other claimants is scheduled to start in January 2024," Fancourt wrote in a 19-point summary of his ruling. The judge decided the prince "has a realistically arguable case at trial" over claims the tabloid unlawfully sourced "confidential information from third parties" in part through private investigators. He noted his judgement does not conclude whether they had been made in time, "only... that it is not sufficiently clear at this stage that it was issued too late". However, on phone hacking accusations dating back to the 2000s, Fancourt sided with NGN that a six-year "limitation period" had expired before Harry filed his claim in 2019. The judge also rejected submissions by Harry that he had delayed initiating such a lawsuit due to a "secret agreement" between the royal family as an institution and the publisher. He said that claim "did not reach the necessary threshold of plausibility and cogency", adding "there was no witness or documentary evidence to support what the Duke claimed". Harry, the younger son of King Charles III, has had a rocky relationship with the media, particularly since he and his American wife Meghan left the royal family in early 2020. Since then, they have both launched litigation against British newspaper publishers, including for privacy and copyright breaches, and libel. The prince last month accused Mirror Group Newspapers of "industrial scale" phone hacking, as he became the first British royal in over a century to take to the witness stand. The judge in that lawsuit is yet to reach a decision. The post Prince Harry lawsuit against The Sun tabloid set for trial appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Supreme Court orders Reyes rearrested, resumption of Ortega’s slay trial
The Supreme Court has ordered former Palawan governor Joel Reyes rearrested in connection with the murder of radio broadcaster and environmental activist Gerry Ortega in 2011......»»
SC orders rearrest of ex-Palawan governor Reyes over Ortega murder
The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the rearrest of former Palawan governor Mario Joel Reyes due to the 2011 murder of environmentalist and broadcaster Dr. Gerry Ortega. This came after the high bench denied Reyes’ petition for review and affirmed the amended decision dated 28 November 2019, and resolution dated 24 February 2021, of the Court of Appeals (CA) Special Former Eleventh Division in CA-G.R. SP No. 132847. Also, the temporary restraining order dated 23 March 2022 has been lifted. The SC in its ruling stated, “Accordingly, the Regional Trial Court, Branch 52, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, is hereby ordered to cause the immediate re-arrest and detention of petitioner Mario Joel T. Reyes; and continue with the proceedings in Criminal Case No. 26839 with utmost dispatch.” The SC also addressed Reyes’ claims of reversible error, stating, “Unfortunately for petitioner (Reyes), the record, thus far, shows that the RTC (regional trial court) acted well within its jurisdiction. This, in turn, belies petitioner’s claim that the CA committed reversible error in sustaining the trial court’s decision to proceed with the criminal trial.” On the morning of 24 January 2011, Ortega, a prominent broadcaster and environmentalist, was fatally shot. Known as an “environmental hero,” Ortega’s murder drew significant attention. Marlon Recamata, the gunman, was arrested and pleaded guilty to the murder in February 2011. Reyes was identified as the mastermind behind Ortega’s killing by his former bodyguard, Rodolfo Edrad. The former governor was criticized by Ortega for alleged environmental destruction in the province. Reyes’ brother, former Coron Mayor Mario Reyes, was also implicated in the crime. The SC ruling satisfied the Ortega family, who said, “The Ortega Family welcomes the latest development to rearrest former Governor Joel Reyes. Our family is thankful that the Supreme Court sided with truth and justice. We have long hoped and prayed for the trial to continue. This fair decision restores our faith that, one day, we will find justice.” The post SC orders rearrest of ex-Palawan governor Reyes over Ortega murder appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
ICC confirms $30m reparations in DR Congo warlord case
The International Criminal Court on Friday confirmed a more than $30 million reparations package for thousands of victims of DR Congo warlord Bosco Ntaganda, including former child soldiers. Named the "Terminator" for his reign of terror in the vast African country in the early 2000s, Ntaganda was jailed for 30 years in 2019 for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Judges afterward awarded $30.3 million (27 million euros) in reparations, but last year ordered a review saying the number of victims was unclear. But on Friday "the Chamber unanimously assesses Mr Ntaganda's liability for reparations at USD $31,300,000," the Hague-based court said in a statement. Although Ntaganda is liable for the payment, the ICC found that he did not have the funds, which would now be paid from the Trust Fund for Victims at the ICC. Judges asked court officials to "continue exploring whether Mr. Ntaganda possessed any undiscovered assets" and monitor his finances "on an ongoing basis." Judges added that based on available information, there were an estimated 7,500 direct and indirect victims of violent attacks, as well as 3,000 direct or indirect victims of crimes against child soldiers. No financial amounts were given for specific victims, but payment would include around $11 million in socio-economic support and around five million dollars ($5 million) for mental care resulting from "psychological harm" suffered during the attacks. Rehabilitation of former child soldiers was estimated at around $4,000 per person. The ICC 2021 upheld a 30-year sentence on appeal for war crimes against Ntaganda. "The Chamber reiterates that Mr. Ntaganda's conviction is final and his liability to repair the harm caused to the victims of his crimes is under no discussion," the judges stressed in Friday's order. "The Chamber will continue striving to advance these reparation proceedings in the most efficient and effective manner possible... ensuring that the victims of his crimes receive the reparations they are entitled to, and for which they have waited for more than two decades, without further delay," they said. The Rwandan-born Ntaganda, 49, was convicted of 18 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, sexual slavery, rape, and using child soldiers. Ntaganda was the first person to be convicted of sexual slavery by the court. Many of the other charges related to massacres of villagers in the mineral-rich Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The post ICC confirms $30m reparations in DR Congo warlord case appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Manila RTC junks plea for release by Degamo suspect
The Manila regional trial court junked the petition for release filed by a detained suspect in the killings of 10 persons, one of them governor Roel R. Degamo, in Pamplona town in Negros Oriental on 4 March. In a ruling, RTC Judge Janice R. Yulo-Antero of Branch 16 denied the petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus filed by Joven C. Javier, one of the 11 detained suspects in the killings. The judge, in the order issued on 5 July 2023, also ordered Javier’s recommitment to the Manila City jail. “The Department of Justice welcomes the decision of the Court in the petition for Habeas Corpus,” DOJ Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic F. Clavano IV said yesterday. “The decision states in very simple terms that there was no basis to file the petition in the first place." The DOJ official said the judiciary is now “aware of the dilatory and diversionary tactics of lawyers that seek to further the conspiracy behind the Pamplona massacre.” Javier, in his petition for release, claimed that he is “being unlawfully detained and deprived of his liberty without any formal charge or judicial warrant.” However, Antero said Javier’s allegation was refuted during a hearing held last 30 May when “the petitioner Joven Calibjo Javier was produced in court with Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Richard Fadullon and State Solicitor Erika Frances Buluran-Monzon appearing for Respondents.” “SDSP Fadullon argued that contrary to the allegations of the petitioner, the latter is not unlawfully restrained of his liberty as an Information of Illegal Possession of Firearms and an Information for three counts of Murder have already been filed in the Regional Trial Court of Manila and is currently pending before Branch 40 and 51 thereof, respectively,” the judge said. “It appears from the respondent’s return and the documents attached thereto that the deprivation of liberty of petitioner is lawful,” the judge ruled. “In the case at bar, it appears that the petitioner is deprived of liberty under a warrant of commitment in pursuance of law, the return is thus considered prima facie evidence of the cause of restraint. The petitioner has failed to present evidence to rebut or contradict such." The post Manila RTC junks plea for release by Degamo suspect appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Cheongdam International High School stars SHARE ‘special affection’ for Pinoy fans
Cheongdam International High School (also titled as B*tch x Rich) tells the story of Kim Hye In (Lee Eun Saem), the sole witness to a murder of a high school girl. In exchange for her supposed silence, she gets transferred to the ultra-exclusive Cheongdam International High School, where she meets Baek Je Na (played by Red Velvet’s Yeri credited in the drama as Kim Ye Rim), the prime suspect who happens to be the queen of Diamond 6, a group of elite and powerful students......»»
NBI to probe radioman’s murder
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla ordered yesterday the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a parallel probe into the killing of radio commentator Cresenciano Bundoquin in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro......»»
NBI seeks parallel probe on broadcaster’s slay
The National Bureau of Investigation has been ordered by Department of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to conduct a “parallel investigation” on the case of Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro radio blocktimer Cresenciano Bunduquin who was killed last 31 May. Emerging from more than two hours of closed-door meeting with Remulla on Thursday, Presidential Task Force on Media Security executive director Paul Gutierrez said the decision to let the NBI conduct a parallel probe was made to further hasten the resolution of the case. It also aims to clarify the involvement of other personalities in Mindoro potentially linked to the killing of Bunduquin and prevent a potential “whitewash” of the case. Although under the Office of the President, Gutierrez reports directly to Remulla and Presidential Communications Office Secretary Atty. Cheloy Garafil as both are co-chairs of the PTFoMS. The PTFoMS had earlier announced that aside from the gunman — identified as Isabelo Lopez Bautista — information gathered indicated that at least three personalities in Mindoro, one of them a police major assigned at the PRO4-B (Mimaropa) Police Office, may be involved in the attack on Bunduquin. Another is a provincial official belonging to a prominent political clan in Mindoro while the other is a long time, big time operator of a perya with close links to many local officials and has a close association with the police major. “From the stream of information, the PTFoMS is now getting from other reliable sources in the government that other persons may also be involved. Thus, Secretary Remulla deemed it best to order the NBI to conduct a parallel probe for us get a clear picture of what happened and who are the other persons or ‘mastermind’ behind the attack on Bunduquin,” Gutierrez said. “Let me emphasize that the government is determined to solve this incident and to render full justice to the victim’s family by unmasking and prosecuting all those involved. No one should take this determination lightly,” he added. He also reiterated his earlier statement that the filing of murder and attempted murder charges against Bautista by the SITG Bunduquin would not mean a closure to the case. “As Secretary Remulla directed, the motive for the killing of Bunduquin must not be limited to the ‘personal grudge’ of the suspects against him. All angles must be explored to the full. The emerging motive is the proliferation of illegal gambling in the province using perya as a cover and politics as both were severely criticized by Bunduquin in his radio program,” said Gutierrez. A radio blocktimer at the local Kalahi News FM, Bunduquin was shot dead by two motorcycle-riding armed men around 4:20 a.m. in front of his rented store in Barangay Sta. Isabel, Calapan City. The gunman was later identified as Bautista while his cohort, identified as Narciso Ignacio Guntan from Roxas town, died after their motorcycle crashed when it hit a metal road barrier during their escape. According to information, both suspects are workers in the local peryahan scene in Mindoro and Bautista had also worked as a driver and doing other odd jobs to some influential individuals in the province. The post NBI seeks parallel probe on broadcaster’s slay appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Abalos orders PNP : Solve radioman’s murder quickly
Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos has ordered the Philippine National Police to quickly solve the killing of Oriental Mindoro radio commentator Cresenciano Bundoquin......»»
Solve radioman’s murder quickly Abalos orders PNP:
Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos has ordered the Philippine National Police to quickly solve the killing of Oriental Mindoro radio commentator Cresenciano Bundoquin......»»
Senate wants tougher penalties for perjury
Senators on Monday called on for tougher punishment and increased penalties against people committing perjury, amid the recent retraction of statements by Degamo slay suspects. During a Senate session on Monday, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano cited the three suspects in the murder of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo who recently recanted their earlier confessions before a Senate panel that tagged suspended Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. as the alleged mastermind of the crime. He also mentioned the case of a witness in former Senator Leila De Lima’s drug case likewise retracting a sworn affidavit. Cayetano wants stricter penalties against witnesses lying, especially during Senate hearings. Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said he is very much in favor of Cayetano’s motion to increase the penalties and jail time against those found guilty of committing perjury. “I totally agree that we must toughen our laws on perjury," he said, lamenting that perjury is now becoming a "norm”. “So I think it's about time. Just like [in] the United States, when you give an affidavit, that’s it. When you recant your affidavit, they would file charges against you. This goes on both sides of the political fence as this happened to our former colleague Ma’am De Lima and now in the Degamo case, I think this would cross all political lines,” Zubiri said. The truth should be ferreted out and “if they lied then they should be liable," he added. Senator Francis Tolentino, meanwhile, said amendments may be recommended for rules under several articles of the Revised Penal Code, including the punishment for the act of giving false testimony in judicial proceedings under Articles 180, 181 and 182. “I think it’s about time to amend the rules in so far as the treatment of witnesses acting with malice and malicious intent and lying in violation of several articles of Revised Penal Code…" However, Senate Minority floor leader Koko Pimentel said the increased penalties should be taken as a second option only. “That should be the second step, but the first step I think is to enforce the current law. No matter what the penalty is, the current law should be imposed. The deterrent effects of criminal law — that’s what is missing,” Pimentel said. Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda backed Pimentel’s motion, saying the government should make sure that the law is implemented accordingly. Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, meanwhile, pointed out that Republic Act 11594, signed by former President Rodrigo R. Duterte on 29 October 2021, amended Article 183 of RA 3815 or the Revised Penal Code, which penalizes perjury. Under RA 115941, persons who commit perjury face a higher penalty of prison mayor in its minimum period to prison mayor in its medium period, from six years and one day to 10 years of imprisonment. Senator Robinhood Padilla, for his part, suggested varying perjury penalties for civilians and for government officials as well as security officials who commit perjury during hearings or inquiries, while Senator Joel Villanueva stressed the need to impose "bigger" penalties on public officials. The post Senate wants tougher penalties for perjury appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Another Degamo slay suspect recants statement
The case of the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo has took another controversial turn as another suspect in the killing has recanted his statements, particularly the alleged involvement of suspended Negros Oriental Third District Representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. Just like four other fellow dismissed soldiers who have taken back their testimonies, the suspect identified as Joven Javier denied knowledge of the 4 March, saying that he was merely forced to admit participation. “We have also informed the court that his life is in danger as there is a plot to have him killed,” defense counsel Danny Villanueva said in an interview. He said they will be filing a habeas corpus suit to question Javier’s continued detention. “Mr. Javier was qualified to be a state witness against others who are being pointed to as responsible for the Pamplona massacre. That is the reason why up to this time no case has been filed against Mr. Javier,” Villanueva said in a television interview. Javier was a sergeant with the Philippine Army’s counterterrorism unit Light Reaction Regiment and was regarded absent without leave in 2018. He was among the first suspects brought from Negros Oriental to Manila for their safety. Fellow suspects Jhudiel Rivero, Romel Pattaguan, Dahniel Lora and Rogelio Antipolo Jr. have all recanted and gave similar narratives of coercion on the part of the government. In his recantation confirmed on Monday by counsel Harold Montalbo, Rivero (a.k.a. Osmundo Rivero) claimed the police coerced him to admit his involvement and that he does not know Teves , the alleged mastermind. Three counts of murder and frustrated murder cases have been filed before the Tanjay, Negros Oriental Regional Trial Court against Javier, Rivero, Joric Labrador, Benjie Rodriguez and 12 other John Does. Meantime, the Department of Justice remains confident that they still have a strong case at hand even if suspects retracted one after the other as it added that the plan to transfer the suspects to the PNP Headquarters at Camp Crame will still push through. The post Another Degamo slay suspect recants statement appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
PBBM may bring up Teves issue with E. Timor counterpart, says Romualdez
INDONESIA – House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said the denial of Rep. Arnolfo Teves’ asylum application may be tackled in the upcoming bilateral meeting between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Timor Leste Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak in the 42nd ASEAN Summit and related meetings here. Romualdez made the statement after the Department of Justice said Teves was in Timor-Leste and had applied "for a protection visa with the intent of asylum." The Southeast Asian nation, however, has rejected his application and ordered him to leave the country in five days since Teves has been tagged as the alleged mastermind in the murder of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo. In an interview with the reporters, the House Speaker believed Marcos was equally concerned about Teves' situation. "We are also interested in the developments and his current situation in Timor Leste. From what we know, he applied for political asylum, which was denied yesterday. We have confirmed this information tonight (Wednesday)," he said. However, Romualdez clarified that he was still determining if the President had conversations about this matter on the sidelines. When asked if the President will ask the head of Timor Leste to "produce" Teves or ask him to come back to the Philippines, Romualdez said: "Well, I don't know if he will ask to produce him because he's already in Timor Leste and we are aware of that." Romualdez also clarified that the President would not ask Timor Leste to bring Teves back to the Philippines because there is no extradition treaty between the two countries. Instead, Teves has less than a week to leave Timor Leste. The House Speaker also said there are three options for the congressman: To return to the Philippines and face the charges against him; continue defying orders and face further sanctions; or move to another country. He urged Teves to return home and face justice, adding that the rights and privileges of a congressman are not meant to be used to evade justice. “So Cong. Arnie Teves, umuwi ka na (go home) and face the music and let the justice take its course,” Romualdez said. In a separate statement, Romualdez warned Teves that "another possible disciplinary action" may be imposed against him if he refuses to return to the Philippines after his 60-day suspension. The House Speaker also called on Teves anew to "return home immediately and face the accusation against him" instead of evading investigation in the Philippines." "Should Cong. Arnie continues to defy the return to work order after the lapse of the 60-day period of his suspension, the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges may be constrained to reconvene and consider another possible disciplinary action against him," Romualdez said. "This is our recourse in order to preserve the dignity, integrity, and reputation of the House of Representatives," he added. The post PBBM may bring up Teves issue with E. Timor counterpart, says Romualdez appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Trump found liable for sexually abusing writer
A New York jury found Donald Trump liable Tuesday for sexually abusing and defaming an American former magazine columnist and ordered the ex-president to pay her $5 million in damages. The nine jurors rejected E. Jean Carroll's accusation of rape but unanimously upheld her other complaints in the closely watched civil trial, following less than three hours of deliberations. It marks the first time Trump has faced legal consequences over a string of sexual assault allegations dating back decades -- and the former leader immediately rejected the verdict as a "disgrace." Carroll, 79, sued Trump last year, alleging that he raped her in the changing room of the luxury Bergdorf Goodman store on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue in 1996. The former columnist for Elle magazine also claimed that Trump defamed her when he called her "a complete con job" after she went public with the allegation in 2019. Trump, the 76-year-old frontrunner for the Republican nomination in next year's presidential election, called her case a "hoax" and "a lie." The jury determined that Carroll had proved sexual abuse -- effectively sexual contact without consent -- by a preponderance of the evidence and awarded her $2 million. The six men and three women on the jury also said Trump should pay Carroll nearly $3 million for defamation. Following the verdict, Carroll left the Manhattan federal court smiling but did not speak to reporters. "We're very happy," said her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan. Trump slammed the outcome on his social media platform Truth Social. "I have absolutely no idea who this woman is," he wrote, using all capital letters. "This verdict is a disgrace -- a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time." Trump's 2024 campaign team said in a statement that the case was a "political endeavor" intended to derail Trump's bid to regain the White House, and that he would appeal. Carroll told the two-week-long civil trial that the assault had left her feeling "ashamed" and unable to have romantic relationships. She said it took her more than 20 years to go public because she was "frightened" by Trump. Her lawyers called to the witness stand two other women who testified that Trump sexually assaulted them decades ago. Former businesswoman Jessica Leeds said that Trump groped her in the business class section of a flight in the United States in the 1970s. Journalist Natasha Stoynoff said Trump kissed her without her consent during an interview at his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2005. Around a dozen women accused Trump of sexual misconduct ahead of the 2016 election that sent him to the White House. He has denied all the allegations and has never been prosecuted over any of them. No criminal case can stem from Carroll's lawsuit. Trump did not testify during the proceedings, nor did his defense team call any witnesses. A video of a sworn deposition he gave in October was played to the jury. In it, Trump called Carroll "a liar" and "really sick person." His lawyers argued that Carroll invented the allegation "for money, for political reasons, and for status." She filed her lawsuit under a New York law that gave victims of sexual assault a one-year window to sue their alleged abusers decades after attacks may have occurred. The burden of proof in civil proceedings is lower than in criminal trial cases when prosecutors must prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. The case was one of several legal challenges threatening to complicate Trump's bid to regain the presidency -- although the Republican's supporters have broadly stayed loyal to their champion up until now. Last month, Trump pleaded not guilty to criminal charges related to a hush-money payment made to a porn star just before the 2016 vote -- allegedly to cover up an affair. Trump is also being investigated over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the southern state of Georgia, his alleged mishandling of classified documents taken from the White House and his involvement in the storming of the US Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021. The post Trump found liable for sexually abusing writer appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Paris court gives Canada-based professor life for 1980 synagogue bomb
A Paris court on Friday sentenced a Lebanese-Canadian sociology professor to life in prison in absentia for the 1980 bombing of a synagogue in the French capital that left four people dead. The court followed the prosecutor's request for the maximum possible punishment against Hassan Diab, now 69 and a resident of Canada, a decision that was met with silence in court. Some victims and their families could be seen embracing at the end of three weeks of proceedings during which the suspect's box remained empty throughout. Prosecutors had said in their closing arguments Thursday that there was "no possible doubt" that Diab, the only suspect, was behind the attack. Diab, speaking to reporters in Ottawa, called the verdict "Kafkaesque" and "not fair." "We'd hoped reason would prevail," he said, adding that he expects Canada not to send him back to France to serve the sentence. In the early evening of October 3, 1980, explosives placed on a motorcycle detonated close to a synagogue on the Rue Copernic in Paris's chic 16th district, killing a student passing by on a motorbike, a driver, an Israeli journalist, and a caretaker. Forty-six others were injured in the blast. The bombing was the first deadly attack against a Jewish target on French soil since World War II. No organization claimed responsibility but police suspected a splinter group of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. French intelligence agents in 1999 accused Diab of having made the 10-kilogram (22-pound) bomb. They pointed to Diab's likeness with police sketches drawn at the time and handwriting analyses that they said confirmed him as the person who bought the motorbike used in the attack. They also produced a key item of evidence against him -- a passport in his name, seized in Rome in 1981, with entry and exit stamps from Spain, where the attack plan was believed to have originated. In 2014, Canada extradited Diab at the request of the French authorities. However, investigating judges were unable to prove his guilt conclusively during the investigation and Diab was released, leaving France for Canada as a free man in 2018. Three years later, a French court overturned this earlier decision and ordered Diab should stand trial on charges of murder, attempted murder, and destruction of property in connection with a terrorist enterprise. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a press conference after the verdict was announced that "we will look carefully at next steps, at what the French government chooses to do, at what French tribunals choose to do". "But we will always be there to stand up for Canadians and their rights," he said. Denials Most of the evidence presented against Diab was based on intelligence sources, and his lawyers had again argued the case should be thrown out. "I'm in front of you to avoid a miscarriage of justice," celebrity defense lawyer William Bourdon told the court Thursday, saying that an acquittal was "the only judicial decision possible". Diab has claimed he was sitting exams in Lebanon at the time of the attack, backed up by statements from his ex-partner and former students. His conviction means he will now again become the subject of an arrest warrant, which risks stoking diplomatic tensions between France and Canada after his first extradition took six years. David Pere, a lawyer for some of the people present in the synagogue at the time of the bombing, said his clients were "not motivated by vengeance nor looking for a guilty person's head to stick on a pike... they want justice to be done". Diab has won some backing from NGOs, including Amnesty International, who said his assertion that he was in Lebanon at the time of the attack was credible The post Paris court gives Canada-based professor life for 1980 synagogue bomb appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
The Tiamzons, dead or alive? (1)
A puzzling statement was issued that couple Benito and Wilma Tiamzon were dead. It was not an assumption but a confirmation made by the faceless spokesperson of the Communist Party of the Philippines, Marco Valbuena, on Thursday that their top-ranking leaders did not die from a sea encounter in Catbalogan, Samar but were tortured and killed by the military. Ahead of DNA test results on human remains believed to be the Tiamzons, Valbuena made a premature claim. Philippine National Police chief, Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr., said the PNP Forensic Group has yet to release its official DNA report which is also being awaited by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The Tiamzons were traveling with eight members of a guerilla group on a boat off Catbalogan City when they figured in a firefight with Joint Special Operations Task Force Trident and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines on 22 August 2022. The military believed the group perished after their boat exploded. Human remains were found in the water in the succeeding days but were not identified. Who really are the Tiamzons? Benito, 71, National Democratic Front consultant, was the vice chairman, executive committee member, and political bureau member of the CPP–New People’s Army-NDF. Wilma, 70, was CPP secretary general and, like her husband, was a member of the executive committee and political bureau of the CPP-NPA-NDF. She was also NDFP negotiating panel national consultant and the National Finance Commission secretary. The couple were arrested on 22 March 2014 and detained at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Camp Crame, Quezon City. Two years after, they were granted bail when the peace talks with the government resumed under the Duterte administration in August 2016. When the peace talks collapsed in 2017, the couple refused to surrender and went into hiding until a Quezon City court ordered their re-arrest in 2018. On 27 November 2020, Benito and Wilma were sentenced to up to 40 years in prison after being convicted of the kidnapping and serious illegal detention of Lt. Abraham Claro Casis and three other Army officers in Quezon in 1988. They were also ordered arrested for 15 counts of murder, issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 32 in Manila on 17 September 2017, in connection with the alleged 1985 purge in Leyte of communist rebels accused of being military informants, known as the “Inopacan massacre.” After running around headless since the death of its ideological founder in December 2022, timing is everything for the orphaned communist groups. Yes, everything happens at the perfect time. And, yes, the NDF’s 50th anniversary on Monday, 24 April is the perfect time. According to security forces, on occasions like this, CPP-affiliated organizations are expected to continue propagating issues and propaganda to portray them as still winning against the government and to expedite their recruitment of new revolutionaries. This is their strategy to portray the AFP as the primary violator of human rights in the country; and that the Philippine and American governments are conspiring to execute the apprehended terrorists. True enough, their digital spokesperson, whose face is always left to everyone’s imagination, announced that at the break of dawn on 24 April, all NPA units have been ordered to stand in formation and silently perform a 21-gun salute to pay respects and give the highest salute to the Tiamzon couple — their heroes for a day. (To be continued) The post The Tiamzons, dead or alive? (1) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
CCTV footage as evidence
In these modern times, closed circuit television cameras have been installed almost everywhere — whether hidden or apparent, whether in a public or private place. CCTV cameras are now fixtures in homes to safeguard families, and in commercial establishments to protect businesses. They have been likewise installed in common areas such as streets, highways, airports, and on public transportation. It cannot be denied that CCTV cameras help greatly in preventing and detecting crime. The cameras reassure the public of their safety and make a criminal think again before committing a crime. Since CCTV footage has been considered to be a great help to authorities in investigating the commission of crimes, it follows that video footage is usually offered as evidence to prove the commission of a crime. A question to be asked, however: Is CCTV footage admissible in evidence? The Rules on Electronic Evidence, amended in 2002, expressly provide for the admissibility of video recordings as evidence in court; provided that: It shall be shown, presented, or displayed to the court; and It shall be identified, explained, or authenticated by the person who made the recording or by some other person competent to testify on the accuracy thereof; To authenticate means to prove or show that the video is true, genuine, and valid. It must be shown that the video was not tampered with, altered, or manipulated. Without the testimony of the person who took the video or the testimony of a competent person who can identify, explain or authenticate it, the video is inadmissible in evidence. In the case of People v. Manansala (GR 233104, 2 September 2020), the Supreme Court elucidated that “persons authorized to authenticate the video or CCTV recording are not limited solely to the person who made the recording but also to another witness who can testify to its accuracy.” In the above-cited case, the testimony of a competent person as to the authenticity of a barangay CCTV footage, corroborated and supported by the testimonies of an eyewitness, was sufficient to hold the accused guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of murder. However, in People v. Concepcion (GR 249500, 6 December 2021), the Supreme Court clarified that the case of Manansala required the party presenting the recording to account for its origin; how it was transferred to a storage device; and how it reached the trial court for its presentation. In the case of Concepcion, which involved a criminal case of rape, the accused offered in evidence CCTV footage to prove that it was physically impossible for him to have raped the victim since he was at home at the time with his common-law wife, Vanessa Vivar. The defense presented the testimony of Rolando Recto, the administrative manager of the five-floor building where the accused resided. Recto affirmed that accused was a lessee of Unit 401 and that the CCTV camera on that floor was placed near that unit. When initially questioned by the lower court, Recto admitted that he was not the one who downloaded the video footage and that the one who did so was no longer connected with the building. He said the CCTV video footage had a lifespan of three weeks. On cross-examination, Recto said a certain Rafael Santos was in charge of the CCTV, and that Recto was not around when an investigating team asked for a copy of the subject CCTV footage. In resolving the case, the Supreme Court agreed with the lower court that the CCTV footage the accused offered could not be admitted and relied upon because the person who downloaded or copied the CCTV footage from the main server was never identified. The Supreme Court found that aside from general assurances that Recto was familiar with the CCTV footage, his testimony failed to account for the origin of the footage, how it was transferred to a storage device, and how it reached the trial court for presentation. The post CCTV footage as evidence appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»