CITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan — The former chief of police of this city Police Col. Manuel Lukban and two other officers, Lt. Col. Henry Biñas and ret. Col. Raul Supiter together with 11 other police personnel were dismissed from the Syndicated Estafa case filed against them by personnel of Police Regional Office-12 (PRO12) as directed by the then Regional Director Gen Eliseo Rasco.
Lukban said that they received the eight pages dismissal order on Friday issued by the City Prosecution Office of General Santos City signed by City Prosecutor Melvn Lamata for the Syndicated Estafa case filed against him and other police officers.
“Lack of probable cause and gross insufficiency of evidence kaya hindi nag-prosper yung kaso laban sa amin,” Lukban said.
It may be recalled, according to Atty. Nena Santos, legal counsel of Lukban, that in March 2019, the said police officers were sacked over an alleged P2 billion PPM investment scam.
“With the anonymous text message as a basis and false information about the scam received by DILG, irked Sec Eduardo Año ordered the immediate relief and investigation of the said PNP officers,” Santos said.
Earlier, the syndicated estafa case filed by CIDG against Mark George Naval, actual founder/proprietor of PLANPROMATRIX Co., and his staff involved in the pyramiding scam were found with probable cause by the prosecution resulting in the formal charge of 5 counts of syndicated estafa against them.
They, being the real scammers were issued a warrant of arrests with no bail on March 4, 2020.
Evidence submitted at the Office of Prosecutors also identified other police officers particularly Police Maj. Michael Elopre and Police Cpl. Jeanette Credo Dosdos who amassed millions of pesos as their pay-outs and not the three officers earlier subjected for investigation.
However, Dosdos, who was mentioned also in the text message, was freed from any charges since she was excluded by Rasco.
Relatedly, due to this investment scam, a certain Patrolwoman Joy Kristine Rojas was missing up to now.
The alleged recorded conversation revealed that Rojas was threatened to kill by anonymous person if she will not give false testimonies about the scam.
Her relatives are now begging for help from PNP Chief Gen. Camilo Cascolan, since his predecessors did no serious effort to find Rojas or investigate her case.
Rasco successfully retired a year ago despite several investment scams that transpired during his tenure as Regional Director.
IN PHOTO: File photo of then Malolos City Police chief Col. Manuel Lukban