Calida seeking Trillanes arrest to halt probe on family firm – De Lima

Senator Leila de Lima on Saturday of accused Solicitor General Jose Calida of attempting to halt a Senate investigation into the his family's security agency government contracts by attempting to effect a warrantless arrest on Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

"In order to stop Trillanes from investigating his conflict of interest of entering into government contracts, Calida figured in another conflict of interest by mobilizing government resources - the OSG, Malacañang, the AFP, and the PNP - to concoct an outrageous proclamation ordering the arrest of Trillanes," De Lima explained in her statement, which she wrote from her detention cell.

The senator also accused Calida of feigning indignation "while at the same time declaring that it is his right to corner government contracts."

De Lima went on to characterize the solicitor general's petition for the Supreme Court to void Trillanes' and the Senate's investigation into his family's government contracts as an attempt to declare himself "beyond public scrutiny" and "immune from the Republic’s laws."

Trillanes was leading a Senate investigation into a Calida family-owned security agency which had landed several lucrative government contracts.

However, the investigation was overtaken by the government's revocation of the amnesty given Sen. Trillanes over unsuccessful attempts to overthrow the government when he was a naval officer.

The Philippine Armed Forces revealed that Calida had initiated the review on Trillanes' amnesty, which led to the revocation. — DVM, GMA News