Japanese police in Cebu to gather evidence for Hamada ambush case

 

Japanese law enforcers and prosecutors with Police Regional Office – 7 director, Chief Supt. Debold Sinas. Japanese officials are in Cebu after the family of slain businesswoman, Junko Hamada, will file a case against her husband, who is allegedly the mastermind behind her killing. / PHOTO COURTESY OF PRO – 7

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The family of a Japanese businesswoman who was killed last August along N. Bacalso Avenue, Cebu City is bent on filing a case against her husband before Japanese law enforcers.

Chief Superintendent Debold Sinas, Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO – 7) director, confirmed reports that police from Japan are in Cebu for 10 days to gather documents, evidence, and coordinate with local investigators on building up the case on the killing of Junko Hamada.

“They’ll be here for 10 days, to visit our investigators from the city (Cebu City Police Office). They also brought with them their prosecutors who will be coordinating with the city prosecutor. To compare notes, gather evidence,” said Sinas.

Hamada, 71, a Japanese national, is the president of BEAMS Philippines Export Corporation, an exporter of high quality furniture and home decorations based in Talisay City.

She was ambushed on August 24, 2018 and succumbed to three gunshot wounds.

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Sinas said the victim’s family from Japan intends to file a complaint against her husband, Sinichi Hamada, who was tagged as the mastermind behind her killing.

“It’s the family, from Japan, who will be pursuing and filing the case against yung sa husband nang victim. It’s up to the investigators there on what case they will file against sa husband,” he said.

Police in Cebu arrested two suspects, the gunman, GB Bertulfo, and Sinichi’s alleged Filipina girlfriend, Mary Jane Aguilar.

Bertulfo and Aguilar are cousins, and both were arrested in separate buy-bust operations in Barangay Tisa, Cebu City. Sinichi, on the other hand, remains at large.

Aguilar was the first one arrested in September, and reportedly told investigators that financial problems prompted Sinichi to kill his wife.

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She claimed that Hamada stopped providing financial support to Sinichi when the former found out that the latter also gives money to Aguilar, who is involved in illegal drugs.

Bertulfo, on the other hand, was arrested a month after Aguilar.

A witness in the case, Alfie Fernandez, was also arrested in a buy-bust operation last September. It was Fernandez who informed investigators that he witnessed Sinichi allegedly conniving with Bertulfo to kill Hamada. /bmjo