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One more city in Philippines declares pertussis outbreak
MANILA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The government of Iloilo, a city in central Philippines, on Monday declared an outbreak of pertussis after it confirmed seven out of 15 reported cases, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. Iloilo is the third city to declare an outbreak of pertussis, or whopping cough, after Quezon and Pasig, two cities in the capital region, announced last week that they hav.....»»
Duterte’s advice to Quiboloy: “get yourself arrested”
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 28 February) – “Get yourself arrested,” is the advice of former President Rodrigo Duterte to his friend and spiritual adviser Pastor Apollo Quiboloy who will be cited for contempt and arrested if he does not appear before a Senate Committee hearing on Tuesday, March 5 on the “reported cases of large-scale […].....»»
Truck driver with 6 rape cases caught
A truck driver wanted for six rape cases was arrested in Taguig City on Friday morning, the Southern Police District reported......»»
4 large-scale dealers busted in separate Central Mindanao PDEA operations
Anti-narcotics operatives arrested three drug den operators and a dealer implicated in more than a dozen criminal cases in separate operations in Cotabato City and in Surallah, South Cotabato on Monday......»»
Trafficker mom offers own kids for online sexual exploitation
A 32-year-old woman from Talomo District, Davao City has been sentenced to four life imprisonments and ordered to pay a total of P6 million for multiple violations, including the violation of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act and the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act. The woman was arrested after offering to sexually abuse her six-year-old son and one-year-old daughter in exchange for money or other considerations. The presiding judge found her guilty of qualified trafficking, child abuse, and offering child sexual abuse material through a computer system. In addition to the life sentences, she was also sentenced to an additional 14 years in prison and ordered to pay fines and damages. The arrest and rescue operation were carried out by law enforcement agencies in collaboration with social workers. The conviction is seen as a testament to the government's efforts to combat trafficking and online sexual abuse and exploitation of children. The International Justice Mission-Philippines estimates that nearly half a million Filipino children were victims of this crime in 2022 alone. Convictions like this are crucial in deterring such crimes and the community's vigilance in reporting cases is essential. To report information about child abuse, contact the Davao City Hotline or the Philippine.....»»
3 wanted persons arrested in Pasay
Members of the Pasay City police warrant and subpoena section on Friday arrested three wanted persons, one of them a woman, for pending cases. Pasay City police chief Col. Froilan Uy identified the suspects as certain George, Melanie and Frederick. George, tagged as the number one wanted person under station level and district level for a murder case, was arrested in Don Carlos, Barangay 190, Pasay City. Uy said the suspect was arrested by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by Judge Marjury Almojera Madrid-Songgadan of Pasay Regional Trial Court Branch 117 on 26 September without bail. Police arrested Melanie arrested at around 8 p.m. on F. B. Harrison Street in Barangay 70, Pasay City for light threats. Judge Jose Cordero Jr. of Manila Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 11 recommended a bail of P3,000 for her temporary liberty. Uy said suspect Frederick who is facing a robbery case was nabbed at around 8:50 p.m. in Don Carlos Village, Barangay 190, Pasay City. The suspect was arrested by virtue of warrant issued by Judge Edilwasif T. Baddiri of Pasay City RTC Branch 115 on 14 July 2023. The post 3 wanted persons arrested in Pasay appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
England, Wales grapple with growing teen knife violence
Elianne Andam was headed to school like any other teenager in London last month when she was stabbed to death, becoming the latest victim of rising knife crime in England and Wales. The 15-year-old suffered a "brutal attack" in Croydon, south London, shortly after she and her friends had stepped off a public bus on a Wednesday morning, prosecutors have said. A 17-year-old boy arrested nearby just over an hour later will stand trial for her murder next April. One of the latest tragic cases of teen-on-teen violence in the British capital, it has become an increasingly common problem nationwide over recent decades. A few days after Andam's death, 16-year-old Taye Faik died in Edmonton, north London, following another knife attack. He was the 14th teenager to be killed with a blade in the city this year. The UK government, and mayors in some of its biggest cities and regions, have repeatedly vowed to tackle the persistent scourge of youth violence, but appear to be failing. Between 2012 and 2022, the number of knife and offensive weapon offences amongst children aged 10-17 increased by 19 percent across England and Wales, according to the Ministry of Justice. That compared with an eight percent increase among adults. 'Social issue' With the sale of guns strictly controlled in Britain, teenagers intent on violence typically turn to blades, including machetes and so-called "zombie" knives. Inspired by horror films, they often have one smooth blade and one serrated edge, and feature graphics or text on the blade or handle glorifying violence. Possessing them has been illegal since 2016, but some manufacturers have managed to evade this quasi-ban by altering their design. The government unveiled plans in August to outlaw them entirely and give police more powers to seize the weapons, which it said "seem to be designed to look menacing with no practical purpose". The new legislation will also increase the maximum penalty for their "importation, manufacturing, possession and sale" from six months to two years. However, machetes and zombie-style knives can be bought with relative ease for less than £50 ($60) on social media platforms like TikTok or Snapchat, circumventing online age restrictions, according to anti-knife crime campaigners. They urge more focus on the roots of the problem. "Knife crime isn't just a law-and-order issue, it's a social issue," Patrick Green, president of the Ben Kinsella Trust, told AFP. The anti-knife crime charity is named after a London teenager murdered in 2008. "When you start to unpick knife crime, you start to look at social deprivation, poverty, the lack of social mobility, mental health probation for young people," Green said. 'Awful weapons' Youth knife violence is more prevalent in Britain than many other European countries, he noted. "It's difficult to determine why exactly," Green added. London mayor Sadiq Khan's office blamed the austerity policies of successive Tory governments in power since 2010, which it argued have "decimated youth services" in the capital and beyond. As many as 130 centers offering sports and arts activities in the city have closed over that period, its statement noted. The pandemic and the country's worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation, driven by decades-high inflation, are also seen as contributing to the problem. Following the recent knife crime deaths in the capital, the Labour mayor urged the Conservative government in a letter "to speed up the legislation so we can ban these awful weapons as soon as possible". "The proposals also need to be toughened up to close the loopholes that could still allow the sale of these weapons," Khan added. He also wrote this month to London's 500 secondary schools reiterating that wand metal detectors to screen pupils for weapons were available, as well as police officers to deliver knife crime prevention talks. His opposition Labour party -- well ahead in polls for over a year -- has pledged to spend up to £100 million if it wins power in an election expected next year on a "Young Futures" program. It would fund new youth mentors and mental health hubs in every community, youth workers in schools set up for troubled students and hospitals, alongside wide-ranging public sector reforms. The post England, Wales grapple with growing teen knife violence appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Baseco drug peddlers netted
Operatives of the Manila Police District Police Station 13 arrested two suspected drug peddlers believed to be members of the “Batang City Jail” on Sunday morning at the Baseco Compound in Port Area, Manila. Police identified the suspects as King Banal and John Rongcales, both residents of Baseco Compound. They were arrested around 5 a.m. Sunday along Barangay 649 in Port Area. Reports disclosed that the arrest was made following a complaint filed by the barangay about the presence of illegal drug peddling in the area. Police conducted a test buy and then a buy-bust operation, where a police poseur buyer transacted with the suspects and led to their arrest. Confiscated from the suspects were one piece of P500 bill and five pieces of heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu with an estimated weight of 5.3 grams worth P36,040. Cases for violations of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, are being prepared against the suspects and will be submitted to the Manila City Prosecutors Office for inquest proceeding. The post Baseco drug peddlers netted appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
3 wanted suspects fall in Rizal sting
Three wanted persons were arrested in separate manhunt operations on Tuesday, the Rizal police provincial office said Wednesday. Rizal police provincial director P/Col. Rainerio de Chavez said the three individuals were nabbed for various cases in the towns of Rodriguez and Tanay, and Antipolo City. In Rodriguez, the 42-year-old accused, identified only as alias Zaldy, was arrested by operatives of the Rodriguez Municipal Police Station by virtue of a warrant of arrest for the crime of frustrated murder. It can be recalled that the accused was allegedly tagged behind the stabbing incident against alias Ryan who miraculously survived the attack after he was rushed to a nearby hospital. In Antipolo, rape suspect alias Junior was nabbed by the police by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by Judge Jose Bayani Usman of Puerto Princesa City Regional Trial Court Branch 50 (Family Court) for the crime of two counts of rape, acts of lasciviousness, and violation under Republic Act 7610 or the Anti-Child Abuse Law. The post 3 wanted suspects fall in Rizal sting appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Indonesia woman jailed for TikTok video praying before eating pork
An Indonesian court has sentenced a woman to two years in prison and handed her a heavy fine after she recited an Islamic prayer before eating pork in a viral TikTok video widely criticized in the Muslim-majority country. Lina Mukherjee, 33, was found guilty of "spreading information aimed at inciting hatred against religious individuals and specific groups" at a court on Tuesday in the South Sumatra city of Palembang, according to the verdict. It came after a resident reported Mukherjee in March for the video, that amassed millions of views, in which she uttered a Muslim prayer that translates to "in the name of God", before consuming crispy pork skin. Pork is forbidden under Islam, which is the dominant religion in Indonesia. Mukherjee identifies as a Muslim and her actions were condemned by conservative groups including the country's top Muslim clerical body, the Indonesian Ulema Council, which issued a ruling calling the video blasphemous. She was also fined 250 million rupiah ($16,200) for which her jail term would be extended by three months if it was not paid. This is the latest in a string of blasphemy cases in the country. Last year Indonesian police arrested six people on charges of blasphemy over a bar chain's free alcohol promotion for patrons named Mohammed. Rights groups have long campaigned against the laws they say are frequently misused to target religious minorities. Jakarta's ex-governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok, was jailed for nearly two years on controversial blasphemy charges in 2017. Purnama, a Christian, was jailed for comments he made on the campaign trail during a re-election bid that saw him accused of insulting Islam. The post Indonesia woman jailed for TikTok video praying before eating pork appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Case of missing sabungeros getting clearer
The latest arrests on the six suspects in the case of missing sabungeros will give the Philippine National Police investigation a direction to its mastermind. This was how PNP Chief P/Gen. Benjamin Acorda viewed the latest development to an almost three-year case that somehow would lead to the identification of the mastermind and others responsible to the crime. “With this development, the investigation will have a direction and hopefully this will convince, or this would encourage other witnesses to come out and provide information,” Acorda said when he guested at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City. Acorda was referring to the arrest of security guards Julie Patidongan, Gleer Codilla, Mark Carlo Zabala, Virgilio Bayog, Johnry Consolacion and Roberto Matillano Jr. in two safehouses in Parañaque City. He said they are also hopeful that the arrest of six suspects will convince, or encourage other witnesses to provide information. The chief PNP also hinted that some of the six arrested suspects are willing to divulge further information on the matter. Acorda said they are hoping that the suspects would cooperate in the investigation for the PNP to finally identify and file charges against the mastermind and other suspects. “The most effective way to connect the mastermind is the suspects themselves. So I am hoping that they will talk,” Acorda said. The suspects were arrested on Friday in Parañaque City after the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group located their whereabouts through an informant and following a two-month surveillance operation. The six suspects were former security guards of the Manila Arena and we’re listed as respondents for six counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention in connection with the abduction of six cockfighting players. Acorda said two other people were collared and are now facing obstruction of justice for providing shelter to the six suspects. The abduction at the Manila Arena was among the series of cases of kidnapping of 34 cockfighting players. Police earlier said the kidnapping was related to allegations of game-fixing for online sabong during the Covid-19 pandemic. On the other end, the families of missing sabungeros John Claude Inonog, Rondel Cristorum, Mark Joseph Velasco, Rowel Gomez, and brothers James Baccay and Marlon Baccay filed formal complaints against the six security officers at the Manila Arena over their disappearance in January 2022. Complaints for six counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention were filed on 18 March 2022, against the six suspects before the Department of Justice. The post Case of missing sabungeros getting clearer appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Case of missing sabungeros now has directions- PNP Chief
The latest arrests of the six suspects in the case of missing sabungeros will give the Philippine National Police investigation a direction to its mastermind. This was how PNP Chief P/General Benjamin Acorda viewed the latest development to an almost three-year case that somehow would lead to the identification of the mastermind and others responsible for the crime. “With this development, the investigation will have a direction and hopefully this will convince, or this would encourage other witnesses to be dedicated to providing information,” Acorda said when he guested at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City. Acorda was referring to the arrest of security guards Julie Patidongan, Gleer Codilla, Mark Carlo Zabala, Virgilio Bayog, Johnry Consolacion, and Roberto Matillano Jr. in two safe houses in Parañaque City. He added said they are also hopeful that the arrest of six suspects will convince, or encourage other witnesses to provide information. The Chief PNP also hinted that some of the six arrested suspects are willing to divulge further information on the matter. Acorda said they are hoping that the suspects would cooperate in the investigation for the PNP to finally identify the file charges against the mastermind and other suspects. “The most effective way to connect the mastermind is the suspects themselves. So I am hoping that they will talk,” Acorda said. “There are some indications that they would talk but we just want to wait and anything that they will say is of course needs the assistance of a lawyer,” he added. The suspects were arrested on Friday in Parañaque City after the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group located their whereabouts through an informant and following a two-month surveillance operation. The six suspects were former security guards of the Manila Arena and we're listed as respondents for six counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention in connection with the abduction of six cockfighting players. Acorda said two other people were collared and are now facing obstruction of justice for providing shelter to the six suspects. The abduction at the Manila Arena was among the series of cases of kidnapping of 34 cockfighting players. Police earlier said the kidnapping was related to allegations of game-fixing for online sabong during the Covid-19 pandemic. On the other end, the families of missing saunders John Claude Inonog, Rondel Cristorum, Mark Joseph Velasco, Rowel Gomez, and brothers James Baccay and Marlon Baccay filed formal complaints against the six security officers at the Manila Arena over their disappearance in January 2022. Complaints for six counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention were filed on March 18, 2022, against the six suspects before the Department of Justice. The CIDG also filed a separate case for kidnapping and serious illegal detention in connection with the disappearance of the missing online sabong master agent Ricardo Lasco, who was reportedly abducted on August 30, 2021, in San Pablo, Laguna. Three former policemen linked to the kidnapping of Lasco have already surrendered. The DOJ in January 2023 filed kidnapping and serious illegal detention charges against six individuals allegedly involved in the disappearance of six sabungeros before the Manila Regional Trial Court. The families, however, withdrew from the cases last month, prompting the kin of other victims to express disappointment. ''We have been hearing reports that there were attempts to really bribe ‘yung mga witnesses,'' Acorda said. The post Case of missing sabungeros now has directions- PNP Chief appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Over P7-M shabu seized
ZAMBOANGA CITY — Authorities arrested four individuals during separate sting operations in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur and seized at least 1.125 kilos of suspected shabu worth P7.659 million. Police Regional Office in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region director P/Brig. Gen. Allan Nobleza on Friday narrated that anti-narcotics agents arrested two drug peddlers during the first drug buy-bust operation at Hayfah compound, Barangay Gadongan in Marawi City about 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Nobleza identified the arrested drug peddlers as Rahib Solaiman Cayugan alias Mosep, a resident of Making, Parang, Maguindanao del Norte and Norain Anto Gunda, a resident of Barangay Pindolunan in Butig in Lanao del Sur. Seized from the two suspects were 1.025 kilos of suspected shabu worth P6.97 million. Police disclosed that two other individuals were able to elude arrest after sensing that the group was dealing with government anti-narcotics operatives. Those still at large were identified as Aripoden Kiram Ander and Rania Musor Maca-angcos, both residents of Tubod in Lanao del Norte. Nobleza said Cayugan and Gunda were arrested after they sold to a police poseur-buyer 25 grams of shabu worth P170,000. Also recovered from the possession of Cayugan and Gunda was a piece of Green Chinese Tea bag labeled “Chinese Pin Wei” containing one piece of an open transparent plastic bag. Cayugan and Gunda are now detained at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency BARMM Jail Facility while cases for violations of Republic Act 10640 are being prepared to be filed against them. In the other anti-illegal drug operation, P/Col. Robert S. Daculan, director of Lanao del Sur Police Provincial Office reported the arrest of Sarip Osngan Mamangacao and Alihassan Ampuan Mangacop in Barangay Bobonga-Marawi in Marawi City at 5:20 p.m. on Wednesday. Daculan said anti-narcotics agents recovered from the possession of Mamangacao and Mangacop were 100 grams of suspected shabu worth P689,000 and buy-bust money. Mamangacao and Mangacop and recovered pieces of evidence were brought to Marawi City Police Station for proper disposition. The post Over P7-M shabu seized appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Court to deliver verdict on hacker behind biggest leak in football history
A Portuguese court was due on Monday to deliver its verdict on hacker Rui Pinto, whose flood of "Football Leaks" revelations exposed dirty dealings in international football. It was the biggest information leak in sports history and sparked criminal investigations in Belgium, Britain, France, Spain and Switzerland. The verdict, which has been postponed several times, was due to be delivered at a hearing in Lisbon starting at 2:30 pm (1330 GMT). Pinto, 34, is charged with 89 hacking offences, and with attempted extortion, a crime punishable in Portugal by between two and 10 years in prison. He argues he is a whistleblower, whose actions exposed underhand dealings involving top football stars, clubs and agents. Between 2015 and 2018, he shared 18.6 million documents on the internet and with a consortium of European newspapers, which published details. The revelations shook the football world. They included the salaries of Lionel Messi and Neymar, an accusation of rape against Cristiano Ronaldo, alleged financial sleight of hand at Manchester City and ethnic profiling at Paris Saint Germain. Defendant and witness Pinto is both a defendant and a protected witness in Portugal. When his trial began in September 2020, Pinto told the court he had been shocked by what he had discovered and was proud of bringing it to public knowledge. But he has admitted he used illegal means to obtain documents. His alleged victims include top Portuguese football club Sporting Lisbon, the Portuguese Football Federation, lawyers, magistrates and Doyen Sports -- a Malta-based investment fund run by Kazakh-Turkish oligarchs. Pinto was arrested in Hungary in 2019 and extradited to Portugal, where he spent a year behind bars before agreeing to cooperate with the Portuguese authorities on other cases, giving them access to encrypted documents he had obtained. The French authorities have also sought his cooperation over the "Luanda Leaks", a release of 715,000 documents providing compromising information on Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos, daughter of former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos. Dos Santos, once the richest woman in Africa, has faced several court cases on charges she syphoned billions of dollars from Angolan state companies during her father's four decades in office. The post Court to deliver verdict on hacker behind biggest leak in football history appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
BI operatives arrest S. Korean pretending to be Filipino
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Sunday the arrest of a South Korean who pretended to be Filipino. BI Intelligence Deputy Chief for Mindanao Melody Penelope Gonzales said that on 5 September, the Bureau conducted an operation at Sitio Mojon in Barangay Langub, Davao City, in coordination with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Region 11, the Police Station, and other government intelligence units, which resulted in the arrest of a Korean national who was identified as Kim Jinkoon, a 58-year-old male. Gonzales added that Kim was the subject of a mission order issued by BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco after being found to be a fugitive from justice in South Korea, facing a total of seven cases filed against him. The Bureau also learned that Kim’s passport had already been canceled by the South Korean government which makes him an undocumented alien. Kim was arrested following a report from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Region 11, when he presented himself as a Filipino and insisted on applying for a Philippine passport, presenting identification cards, and claiming that his name was Allan Sun Duran. Upon verification with the South Korean government, his cases in his country revealed that he is an undesirable alien. He initially resisted arrest, insisting that he was a Filipino, but records from the Korean government had shown him a fugitive. Later, Kim admitted that he obtained his Philippine birth certificate in 2008 through an unidentified Filipina fixer. Kim is now temporarily detained at the BI Davao District Office prior to his transfer to the BI Warden Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, where he will face immigration charges for overstaying and undesirability. The post BI operatives arrest S. Korean pretending to be Filipino appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
3 foreign nationals arrested at NAIA
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Saturday, 2 September, the arrest of three foreign nationals at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for violation of immigration laws. On 31 August, the Bureau arrested a Thai national identified as Teerasade Phutthichotiruksa, a 43-year-old male, who attempted to depart via a Thai Airways flight to Bangkok, Thailand, but the Bureau intercepted him during a primary inspection. Phutthichotiruksa, according to the BI-NAIA, showed up for his immigration procedures at NAIA Terminal 3 for departure, but the immigration officer found anomalies and irregularities in the stamps placed on his passport. This prompted the BI officer to submit his document for further inspection through the BI’s Forensic Documents Laboratory. The BI forensic team inspected his travel documents and confirmed that the stamps shown on his passport were counterfeit. As a result, Phutthichotiruksa was arrested, read his rights, and immediately transferred to the BI Warden Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, while awaiting deportation. BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that this case underscores the importance of the immigration officers' vigilance and expertise in detecting fake documents. Their officers are trained to spot irregularities and will arrest foreign nationals who attempt to use fraud to be able to travel. Meanwhile, on 1 September, the BI also arrested of two Chinese fugitives in separate incidents. At the NAIA Terminal 3, the Bureau arrested Chen Changdian, 32, after he attempted to depart the country via Scoot Airlines bound for Singapore. Upon primary inspection, the immigration officer found out that Chen’s name was in the BI’s database of derogatory records. Chen is the subject of an Interpol red notice after being wanted for prosecution in the United Arab Emirates for the crime of murder in 2022. Based on the BI database, Chen arrived in the country in May 2022, but his name was only tagged as a fugitive by Interpol in November 2022. While at the NAIA Terminal 1, the Bureau arrested a Chinese woman who was identified as Lyu Yani, 30 years old, after trying to depart the country via a Philippine Airlines flight bound for Bangkok. According to the BI-NAIA, Lyu's name was also found on Interpol's list of wanted criminals. Lyu was tagged by Interpol as a fugitive wanted for the crime of running a gambling house. Both Chinese nationals were transferred to the BI Warden Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City. All three fugitives are currently facing deportation cases, and their names will be included on the BI blacklist, which will bar them from entering the Philippines in the future. The post 3 foreign nationals arrested at NAIA appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
The legal woes of Donald Trump
Former US president Donald Trump is facing four criminal indictments, all filed since March -- with the Republican frontrunner in the 2024 White House race possibly navigating a series of trials as he campaigns. On Thursday, he was formally arrested on 13 counts in the southern state of Georgia in connection with his alleged efforts to interfere with the results of the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump has already been indicted in federal court in connection with election interference in multiple states, and over his handling of classified documents, making him the first former US president to face federal criminal charges. The twice-impeached Trump has also been charged in New York with making election-eve hush money payments to a porn star. Here are the key cases involving the 77-year-old one-term president -- and others that could materialize: Georgia election meddling Trump stands accused in Georgia of pressuring state officials to overturn Biden's election victory -- incidents that were also referred to in a federal indictment. Evidence includes a taped phone call in which he asked Georgia's then-secretary of state to "find" enough votes to reverse the result. Fulton County's top prosecutor Fani Willis has charged Trump with 13 felony counts including violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, as well as six conspiracy counts over alleged efforts to commit forgery, impersonate a public official and submit false statements and documents. Eighteen co-defendants also were indicted, including Trump's former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, for pressuring local legislators over the result after the election, and Trump's White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows. 2020 election interference Special Counsel Jack Smith had already slapped Trump with four federal charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Trump is charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, as well as conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of an official proceeding -- the January 6, 2021, meeting of a joint session of Congress held to certify Biden's election victory. He is also charged with conspiracy to deny Americans the right to vote and to have one's vote counted. The indictment mentions six co-conspirators but none are identified -- Trump, currently the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is the only named defendant. Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as Congress met to certify the presidential election results. Before what was ultimately a deadly attack, Trump delivered a fiery speech urging the crowd to "fight like hell." Classified documents Trump, in another indictment brought by Smith, is accused of endangering national security by holding onto top secret nuclear and defense documents after leaving the White House. Trump kept the files -- which included records from the Pentagon, CIA, and National Security Agency -- unsecured at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida and thwarted official efforts to retrieve them, according to the indictment. Trump was initially charged with 31 counts of "willful retention of national defense information," each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. A count was added related to a classified document "concerning military activity in a foreign country." He also faces charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice, making false statements, and other offenses. The federal judge in the case has set a trial date of May 20, 2024, at the height of the presidential campaign. Stormy A New York grand jury indicted Trump in March over alleged hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels. Prosecutors say the money was paid prior to the 2016 election to silence Daniels over claims she had a tryst with Trump in 2006 -- a year after he married Melania Trump. Late in the campaign, Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen arranged a payment of $130,000 to Daniels in exchange for her pledge of confidentiality, prosecutors said. That case, in which he faces 34 felony counts, is due to go to trial next March, in the middle of the Republican primary election season. Other probes Trump was found liable in a civil case for sexually abusing and defaming a former magazine columnist, E. Jean Carroll, in 1996, and ordered to pay her $5 million in damages. In New York, state Attorney General Letitia James has filed a civil suit against Trump and three of his children, accusing them of fraud by over-valuing assets to secure loans and then under-valuing them to minimize taxes. James is seeking $250 million in penalties as well as banning Trump and his children from serving as executives at companies in the city. Trump has denied all wrongdoing. The post The legal woes of Donald Trump appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
BOC seized P18.3-M cocaine at NAIA 3
The Bureau of Customs Port of NAIA (BOC-NAIA), with the help of NAIA PDEA-IADITG personnel, caught a passenger carrying 3.5 kilograms of cocaine at NAIA Terminal 3 in Pasay City. The arrested passenger was identified as Zenaida Losloso y Esperanza, a 49-year-old Filipino woman who resides in Ilayang Iyam Lucena City's Venus St., Jael Subdivision. Gerald Javier, the head of NAIA PDEA-IADITG, said that the suspect entered the country on Thursday night by Ethiopian Airlines flight ET644 from Addis Ababa, South Africa, which arrived at NAIA terminal 3. BOC-NAIA said that the port discovered the illegal drugs after the baggage of the suspect passed through the initial X-ray inspection. The alerted X-ray screener tagged it with an "X" mark as a sign that the baggage had suspicious images and needed to undergo a physical inspection. Upon conducting a 100 percent physical examination of the said baggage, the authorities found out that it contained a total of 3,454 grams of cocaine concealed in its lining, with an estimated value of P18,306,200. The suspect and all evidence were surrendered to the PDEA for use in cases related to violating Republic Act No. 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002. The post BOC seized P18.3-M cocaine at NAIA 3 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DoJ seeks telcos’ help in SIM cases
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla yesterday said they would ask telecommunication companies to help in the pilot cases filed against violators of Republic Act 11934, or the Subscriber Identity Module Registration Act. The DoJ chief said more than 100 Filipinos and foreign nationals were arrested last week and eventually charged following a raid on the so-called “scam hub” in Pasay City. Authorities held 600 workers during the raid, but only 91 Filipinos and 20 foreigners were subjected to inquest proceedings before the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office for alleged cybercrimes. They are facing charges for violation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, Revised Securities Regulation Code, and spoofing under the SIM Registration Act. Spoofing refers “to the act of transmitting misleading or inaccurate information about the source of the phone call or text message, with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain anything of value.” During the raid, lawmen seized 28,000 SIM cards, hundreds of phones and other devices allegedly being used for fraudulent activities. The post DoJ seeks telcos’ help in SIM cases appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
CA orders release of 4 Chinese nabbed in POGO Las Piñas raid
The Court of Appeals ordered the release of four Chinese nationals arrested in a police raid on a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation (POGO) in Las Piñas City on 27 June. The raid was conducted by the Philippine National Police Anti-Cyber Crime Group (PNP-ACG). Covered by the CA’s 10th Division order dated 28 July 2023 were Ang Chin Keong, Choo Jun Cheng, Choo Wei Jazz, and a certain "Edy". Lawyer Jocel Isidro Dilag filed the petition for the issuance of the writ of habeas corpus on behalf of the four foreign nationals. A writ of habeas corpus “is a writ directed to a person detaining another, commanding the former to produce the body of the latter at a designated time and place.” It extends “to all cases of illegal and arbitrary detention by which any person is deprived of his liberty.” “We have examined into the cause of caption and restraint of Keong, et al., and we are satisfied that they are unlawfully restrained. The totality of the circumstances show that Keong, et al, were unlawfully restrained,” the CA said in an 18-page decision penned by Associate Justice Rex Bernard Pascual. “The PNP, through P/BGen Jose Melencio Nartatez, Jr., P/BGen Sidney S. Hernia, PCol. Atty. Arvie A. Paraon-Bueno, PCol. Atty. Nova De Castro, and all those acting under their instructions and command, including those who may have taken actual, legal, and/or constructive custody of Keong, et al., are ordered to immediately discharge and/or release from any custody, detention, confinement, or other restraint which is currently undertaken at Hong Tai Compound, 501 Alabang Zapote Road, Almanza Uno, Las Piñas City,” the CA added. Named respondents in the petition for the writ of habeas corpus are Nartatez, regional director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), and Hernia, director of the PNP-ACG. The four petitioners were among the more than 2,700 individuals, including 600 Chinese, 180 Vietnamese, 140 Indonesian, 130 Malaysian nationals, and Filipinos, who were detained at the premises of the Hong Tai Compound, a mixed-use facility for residential and commercial purposes, situated along Alabang Zapote Road, Almanza Uno, Las Piñas City. They claimed that a large part of the Filipino group had already been released by the respondents, while foreigners, including Keong’s group, are still detained in their respective rooms “against their will, without any running water and food rations”. Also, the petitioners claimed they were even required to get the respondents’ permission just to gain access to a working toilet or buy potable water from the compound’s convenience store. The PNP-ACG on the other hand defended the raid and told the CA that the foreign nationals were not allowed to leave the premises being potential victims of human trafficking. The respondents noted that most of them are with expired passports, no working visas, or minors, whose passports are captured by the employer POGO facility. The PNP-ACG said they had already referred the foreign nationals to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for assessment as potential trafficking victims. But in siding with the petitioners, the Court took into consideration the failure of the PNP to present a copy of the search warrants used as the basis for conducting the raid. The CA noted, “The fact that no search warrants were presented by the PNP would show that the warrants are adverse to it. Section 3 (e), Rule 131 of the Revised Rules on Evidence provides that evidence willfully suppressed would be adverse if produced, unless contradicted and overcome by other evidence.” It further held that "no judicial process was presented to the Court by the PNP to allow for the continued detention of Keong et al." Also, it said even the purported protective custody of Keong, et. al., does not justify their continued restraint. While the PNP cited the Expanded Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012 as the process to secure and restrict the movement of the said foreign nationals who are possible victims of human trafficking, the appellate court held that the absence of the latter's consent is "fatal to their continued detention." The post CA orders release of 4 Chinese nabbed in POGO Las Piñas raid appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»