By Moira Encina
Eagle News Service
The acting prosecutor general who approved the dismissal of drug-related charges against self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa and several others in December last year has resigned from the post.
Makati Prosecutors Office head Jorge Catalan Jr., who was designated head of the National Prosecution Office on June 22, 2017, said that “much as (he) would like to carry on with the parallel arrangement,” he “cannot compromise or sacrifice (his) performance and productivity by holding on to both offices.”
“With much thought and deliberation, may I respectfully request to be relieved of my duties as Acting Prosecutor General of the (NPS) effective the closing of office hours on June 29, 2018,” he said in his resignation letter dated June 25, and sent to Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.
“I am truly grateful for the opportunity I was given,” he said.
Guevarra said he has accepted Catalan’s resignation as acting prosecutor general.
It was Catalan who approved the 41-page DOJ panel resolution–which was made available to the media only months after—dismissing the charges against Espinosa, Peter Lim, Peter Co, Max Miro, Lovely Impal, Ruel Malindangan, Jun Pepito, and several others.
In junking the charges, the panel cited the alleged inconsistencies in the statements of the state’s lone witness, Marcelo Adorco, among others.
The decision caused public outcry, with critics noting Espinosa’s confession he was a drug lord during a previous Senate hearing.
Then-Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre ordered the creation of a different panel that would look into the police’s motion for reconsideration of the dismissal.
Aguirre resigned afterwards.