Court finds ex-PDEA agent Jonathan Morales guilty of perjury

A Pampanga court has found former PDEA intelligence agent Jonathan Morales guilty of perjury for giving false testimony in a drug case in 2011.

In an 11-page decision promulgated on Wednesday, the San Fernando Municipal Trial Court Branch IV found Morales guilty beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced him to four months of imprisonment.

He was also given a fine of P1,000 with subsidiary imprisonment in case of insolvency.

Morales was accused of giving false testimony in June 2011 and September 2011 before the San Fernando City Regional Trial Court Branch 43 against two Chinese who were suspected of drug trafficking.

He stated under oath that the said persons were liable for selling, delivering, transporting or distributing drugs.

The former PDEA agent later recanted his testimonies during his cross-examination, saying that he was forced to testify against the two by his superior Director Lyndon Aspacio.

According to Morales, he executed his testimony for fear that he would be fired or prosecuted if he did not follow the alleged orders.

In ruling against him, however, the court said it found no evidence to support Morales’ claim that he was forced or intimidated.

“The superior officer allegedly employing duress, force, intimidation or threat was not even present when accused subscribed the Affidavit before the State Prosecutor,” the Court said.

“Additionally, the fear of being transferred to ‘dangerous assignments’ such as in Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi is rather speculative, if not discriminatory and unwarranted,” it added.

Morales was also the one who claimed to have signed the supposed leaked PDEA pre-operation report in 2012 which linked President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and actress Maricel Soriano to illegal drugs.

He was cited in contempt by a Senate committee in May for "continuously lying" before the panel about his personal data sheet.

Morales was later released from Senate detention.