MANILA -- Resigned Bureau of Customs (BOC) intelligence officer Jimmy Guban will remain in the custody of the Senate pending results of its investigation on the PHP6.8-billion shabu shipment which slipped into the country, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Thursday.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will also conduct a probe on the admissions made by Guban.
In a message to newsmen, Guevarra said he also discussed the question on Guban's custody with Senator Richard Gordon including whether Guban is qualified to be a government witness.
"Senator Gordon and I have agreed to transfer custody of a vital witness, Jimmy Guban, to the NBI upon termination of the Senate inquiry. Mr. Guban shall also be considered for coverage under the witness protection program (WPP), upon full compliance with all the requirements under the WPP law," Guevarra said.
"The NBI, on the other hand, will conduct further investigation on the basis of the Senate committee report, and file the appropriate complaints as the evidence will warrant," Guevarra said.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday ordered Guban's arrest for facilitating the entry of the contraband into the country, stressing that he faked identification cards to allow the entry of tons of shabu through magnetic lifters in the BOC.
Duterte also ordered Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Chief Aaron Aquino to go after the culprits behind the smuggled shabu. (PNA)
