ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 16, 2013) – Philippine authorities arrested a government prosecutor and a lawyer in an anti-corruption sting in the southern city of Zamboanga.
Authorities said the duo was bribing a government witness from testifying against a pair of notorious criminal and drug lord who were also blamed by the police for many drug-related killings in Zamboanga, among other crimes.
The two lawyers, unaware of the undercover operation, were nabbed by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.
Authorities said the two had been under surveillance following reports that they were convincing the witness from testifying against Margani Samla and his cohort policeman Mohd Mansul in exchange for P200,000.
It was not immediately known whether the duo were acting on orders from Samla or not, but the arrest sent a shocking revelation to the extent of corruption in the government, particularly in the Judiciary, the last bastion of democracy. The arrests cast doubts in the justice system.
Authorities have immediately begun investigation as charges are getting readied against the prosecutor and the lawyer for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials. (Mindanao Examiner)
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