Duterte prefers Ombudsman to pursue criminal liability of ‘ninja cops’

President Rodrigo Duterte was leaving it up to the Office of the Ombudsman to prosecute the police officers accused of involvement in the illegal drug trade.

Duterte said on Monday that while he expected the Department of the Interior and Local Government to impose administrative sanctions on the policemen allegedly involved in the recycling of seized illegal drugs, the criminal aspect should be pursued by the Ombudsman.

The President also explained that he could not adopt the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's findings on the so-called “ninja cops” because “the Senate is not under me nor am I under the Senate.”

“So kung ano ‘yung imbestigasyon nila rebyuhin ko at kung tumama naman sa lahat on all fronts, to a T, then I will just adopt some but not all. Maybe in form or in whatever in the definition of the crimes to make it more clear sa magbasa ng kaso,” the President said in a speech before newly appointed government officials in Malacañang.

The ninja cops allegation had forced Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde to resign just weeks before his retirement on November 8. Albayalde, who was Pampanga police chief at the time, was alleged to have intervened on behalf of the ninja cops and prevented their separation from the police force.

The former top cop has denied the allegations, and despite the Senate committee's findings, insisted that no hard evidence was ever presented which proved he was involved in the drug raid. — DVM, GMA News