(Eagle News)—-Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre on Tuesday said the resolution junking the drug charges against Kerwin Espinosa and others was not final.
“Suffice it to say that the current status of the case against the respondents.. does not mean that it is a final exoneration of their respective criminal liabilities,” Aguirre said in a statement.
According to Aguirre, “there are possible avenues to review this case, either by a motion for reconsideration, or ultimately, by way of automatic review by my office.”
“The dismissal is a slight bump on our war against drugs, it is likewise a wake up to all concerned that our efforts, from apprehension to resolution to conviction must be concerted and thorough,” Aguirre said.
He said the DOJ, however, remains “committed to waging the war on drugs”
“As of the moment, my office will refrain from making unnecessary comment on this particular case since it will eventually be the subject of an automatic review which I will resolve,” he said.
In a resolution in December last year and made available to the media on Monday, the DOJ dismissed the drug charges against Espinosa, Peter Lim and others citing a “dearth of evidence.”