CIDG serves subpoena for Lim to appear before DOJ

LIM SUBPOENA/AUGUST 1,2017: CIDG7 Chief Inspector Chuck Barundog (right) serve the subpoena of businessman Peter Lim in his residence in brgy Kasambagan Cebu City through his security guard Antonio Rosellosa.(CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)

Members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas (CIDG-7) went to the house of businessman Peter Lim in Barangay Kasambagan to serve a subpoena addressed to a Peter Go Lim, a.k.a. Jaguar, Roland “Kerwin” Espinosa and others.

The subpoena issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Manila directed Lim to appear before the DOJ on August 14 and 17, 2017 at 10 a.m., “in connection with the preliminary investigation of the captioned case to be furnished with copy of the complaint and other documents evidence filed against you,” the subpoena read.

The subpoena was not accompanied by a copy of the complaint and the pieces of evidence to bolster the complaint, which is the usual procedure of the Office of the Prosecutor when summoning respondents of a complaint.

Instead, the subpoena said that the respondents would be given a copy of the complaint against him on August 14, during preliminary investigation.
The complaint is for “Violation of Sec. 26 (b) (Conspiracy) in relation to Section 5 or RA 9165” or the Dangerous Drugs Act.

Section 26 (b) refers to any attempt or conspiracy to commit the following acts: the sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation of any dangerous drug and/or controlled precursor and essential chemical.

It carries the penalty of life imprisonment to death.

The subpoena was signed by Assistant State Prosecutors Michael John Humarang and Aristotle M. Reyes on July 17, 2017.

“You are hereby warned that failure on your part to comply with this subpoena shall be considered as waiver to present your defense in the preliminary investigation and the case shall be considered submitted for resolution,” the subpoena read.

The Major Crime Investigation Unit of CIDG (MCIU–CIDG) in Camp Crame filed a complaint against Lim, Espinosa and some other respondents before the DOJ.

When CIDG-7 agents led by Chief Insp. Chuck Barandog tried to serve the warrant on Lim at around 1:40 p.m. yesterday, no one answered the gate of the two-storey house in Barangay Kasambagan.

Barandog said they rang the doorbell several times, but no one answered.

Twenty minutes later, an Antonio Rosellosa arrived and received the copy of subpoena on behalf of Lim.
Rosellosa told the CIDG-7 officers that he is the security guard on duty at the house.
Cebu Daily News tried to contact the lawyers of Lim but to no avail.
Barandog said that yesterday was the third time the CIDG-7 tried to serve the subpoena on Lim.
He said they first served the subpoena Thursday last week, but Lim was also not in his house.
“The second time we served the subpoena was last Sunday. Walay mogawas. Maid lang daw naa sa sulod. Pero sila sad wala mogawas. Mosilip lang,” Barandog said.
(The second time we served the subpoena was last Sunday. No one faced us. There were helpers inside, but they did not come out.)
Under the rules, a subpoena is good as served when for the third time, the subject is still unavailable to personally receive it.
Chief Insp. Hector Amancia, CIDG-7 deputy director, said that they already submitted an official report on the investigation done against Lim to the DOJ.
However, Amancia refused to reveal details of their report.