Falcis brothers' grave threats rap vs. Kris Aquino junked

The Quezon City prosecutor's office has dismissed the grave threats complaint against actress and TV personality Kris Aquino filed by a former business associate she had accused of qualified theft.

In a five-page resolution seen Friday, Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Rolando Ramirez junked Nicko Falcis and his brother Jesus Nicardo Falcis III's complaint against the former presidential sister for lack of probable cause.

The Falcis brothers had accused Aquino of calling Nicko, who was then in Thailand, to warn him not to return to the Philippines.

Aquino allegedly told her ex-business partner, "Dare to step in this country and you will be dead!"

Aquino had earlier accused Nicko of spending more than P1 million off a corporate credit card for his personal use.

The Pasig prosecutor's office has dismissed qualified theft charges against Nicko, but a Taguig prosecutor decided to charge him in court with estafa and violation of the Access Devices Regulation Act.

Aquino told the prosecutor that the filing of the Falcis complaint was an afterthought that was intended as "leverage" to the charges she filed against Nicko.

"We find respondent's version to be more credible and believable, being in accord with human experience," said the resolution, which was approved by Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Rossana Morales Montojo by authority of the city prosecutor.

The prosecutor found that Nicko did not report the alleged death threat to the authorities, and that there was no proof that he took precautionary steps to ensure his safety upon his arrival back in the Philippines, adding that Nicko supposedly divulged the alleged threat only after Aquino accused him of qualified theft.

"Aside from complainant Nicko's bare allegations, there is no iota of evidence submitted to back up the alleged utterance of threats. Regrettably, it is well-settled that a mere allegation without proof is not sufficient to establish a prima facie case," the resolution stated.

It also found that the complaint did not allege Aquino threatened Nicko's brother, Jesus Nicardo.

His joining his brother "just to make it appear that two counts of grave threats had been committed" shows "that this complaint is just a pure case of harassment for the numerous complaints she filed against complainants," the resolution said. —NB, GMA News