DOJ orders release of Marawi vice mayor arrested for rebellion

A prosecutor with the Department of Justice (DOJ) has ordered the release of Marawi City Vice Mayor Arafat Salic, who was arrested this week on charges of rebellion.

Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Ong said the complaint is "not inquestable" since Salic was not arrested while committing a crime, escaping from detention, or was the subject of hot pursuit — the grounds for valid warrantless arrests.

Joint military and police forces arrested Salic on Wednesday morning on the basis of a martial law arrest order for rebellion issued September 2017, months after the Marawi siege broke out.

The complaint filed by the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group against the Marawi official will instead undergo a regular preliminary investigation. —KBK, GMA News