NBI recommends charges vs. suspects in Jee kidnap-slay despite widow's appeal

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has come out with its findings on the abduction and killing of South Korean Jee Ick Joo last October 18 despite an appeal from the businessman's wife to keep its hands off the case.

In a report submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday, the NBI recommended the prosecution of several people, including police officers, for the following criminal offenses:

*Police Supt. Rafael Dumlao III — kidnapping with homicide, robbery with violence against and intimidation of persons, robbery with violence against and intimidation of persons (in relation to cash withdrawals from Jee's credit card)

*SPO4 Roy Villegas — kidnapping with homicide, carnapping

*SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel — kidnapping with homicide, carnapping, robbery with violence against and intimidation of persons, robbery with violence against and intimidation of persons (in relation to cash withdrawals from Jee's credit card)

*Jerry Omlang — kidnapping with homicide, carnapping, robbery with violence against and intimidation of persons, robbery with violence against and intimidation of persons (in relation to cash withdrawals from Jee's credit card)

* alias Pulis — kidnapping with homicide, robbery with violence against and intimidation of persons, carnapping

*alias Driver — kidnapping with homicide, robbery with violence against and intimidation of persons, carnapping

* alias Tol — robbery with violence against and intimidation of persons, robbery with violence against and intimidation of persons (in relation to cash withdrawals from Jee's credit card)

*Gerardo Gregorio Santiago (owner of Gream Funeral Services) — obstruction of justice

* Epehany Maraya Gotera — obstruction of justice

* Police Supt. Allan Macapagal - obstruction of justice under Section 1f of Presidential Decree 1829

* several John Does (some members of the PNP Anti Kidnapping Group who conducted a search operation on Santiago's funeral parlor)

Jee's wife, Choi Kyung Jin, herself had requested President Rodrigo Duterte in a letter to stop the NBI probe following reports that some NBI officials might also be involved in the crime.

She also informed NBI Director Dante Gierran that she was withdrawing the carnapping and robbery complaints filed with the NBI National Capital Region, whose head, Ricardo Diaz, was among the four officials who were relieved from their posts so as to ensure an impartial investigation.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II rebuffed Choi's plea, saying the NBI was pursuing "leads" material to the case.

The NBI investigation report did not recommend charges against any of its officials, something the Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group did when it included Diaz, former NBI deputy director Jose Yap and former NBI Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force Roel Bolivar in its amended complaint filed with the DOJ.

Findings

In its report, the NBI said it was "clear" that Sta. Isabel, Villegas, Omlang, alias Pulis and alias Driver "did drag, handcuff and take away and transport" Jee, along with his househelp Marisa Morquicho, from his Angeles City residence, "effectively depriving him of his liberty."

"These acts were in compliance with the order of Dumlao. In the course of the kidnapping, Jee died," the NBI said.

The NBI, however, was silent on the possible motive behind Jee's killing.

It also noted that the suspects, who abducted Jee under the guise of an anti-drug raid, had stolen the personal belongings of Jee's family.

These include assorted jewelry worth P300,000, cash totalling P250,000, Korean passports of Choi and her daughter Jee Yun Hee, and Yun Hee's Korean Bank passbook and identificard card.

"Villegas, alias Pulis and alias Tol are equally as liable as subjects Omlang and Sta. Isabel, despite the fact that they were not among those who entered the house. It was they who employed violence on victim Jee, enabling the other two subjects (Omlang and Sta. Isabel) to effectively, and without defense from victim Jee, carry out the taking of personal properties from the Jee house," the report stated.

Apart from personal belongings, the suspects took away Jee's SUV, a Ford Explorer, and withdrew a total of P80,000 from Jee's credit card at an ATM slot in Greenhills, San Juan City.

From Angeles City, Jee was taken to the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame where he was strangled to death. His body was initially brought to Santiago's Gream Funeral Services in Bagbaguin, Caloocan City before it was processed for cremation at the St. Nathaniel Crematory Services also in Caloocan City.

Santiago allegedly received P30,000 from Sta. Isabel for the job.

The NBI said Santiago and Gotera should be held liable for obstruction of justice because they facilitated Jee's cremation, falsified his death certificate by giving him the name "Jose Salvador Y Ruamar," and disposed of the victim's ashes.

The report added Jee's ashes were flushed down the toilet on January 15 by Gream Funeral Services staff upon the instruction of Santiago, who was then in Canada.

The NBI, meanwhile, shot down the PNP-AKG's claim that Jee's golf set was recovered from Gream Funeral Services during a search operation on January 18.

Government agents cited the statements of the funeral home staff who said only Jee's body was brought to them while Santiago denied receiving any golf set as payment.

Omlang, on the other hand, said he saw that Villegas unloaded the golf set from Jee's Ford Explorer and then gave it to Dumlao while they were in Camp Crame.

"That the AKG Team allegedly found the golf set in the said place is incredible and impossible. Logic and reason would dictate that the reason why it was found there by the raiding team is that they themselves planted the golf set when they conducted the search for firearms at Gream Funeral Services. Hence, there arises their liability for obstruction of justice under the above-stated provision (Section 1f) of PD 1829," the NBI said.

The PNP AKG stuck to its claim, noting the golf set was hidden among the caskets and was actually inside a box.

The DOJ is currently conducting a reinvestigation on the kidnap-slay on orders of the Angeles City Regional Trial Court Branch 58. —KG, GMA News