Judge who cleared Kerwin, Peter Lim while at DOJ vouches for merit of appointment

The former state prosecutor who was part of the panel that dismissed the charges against confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa and businessman Peter Lim has said that his recent appointment as a judge to the Lucena Regional Trial Court was based on merits.

Judge Aristotle Reyes of the Lucena RTC Branch 15 said President Rodrigo Duterte appointed him to the judiciary as early as September 21, 2017.

"'Nung date ng appointment, wala pa namang resolution na lumalabas eh, September 2017, wala pang mga resolution sa mga drug case na 'yan," Reyes said.

"I believe that talagang ang appointment is based on my qualification and work ethic, 'yun lang," he added.

Reyes was also part of the panel that cleared former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon over the P6.4-billion shabu smuggling in May last year.

He said his appointment was made while the preliminary investigation on the complaints againat Espinosa, Lim and their co-respondents were ongoing. The raps were dismissed in December.

The resolution in the shabu smuggling case, on the other hand, was reached a month earlier in November.

Reyes took his oath as a magistrate on February 2.

Reyes said he would prepare a written statement on concerns regarding his appointment as regional trial court judge. —NB, GMA News