Jose Adrian “Jad” Dera (PNA file photo by Yancy Lim)
MANILA – Prosecutors have approved the filing of criminal charges against security officers and a detainee at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in connection with their unauthorized trip last month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Tuesday.
Charges for infidelity in the custody of prisoners were ordered filed against NBI Security Officer II Randy Godoy, who allowed the preferential treatment for detainee Jose Adrian “Jad” Dera.
Dera, who has been detained at the NBI since 2019, was transferred to the Muntinlupa City Jail on July 6. He is facing illegal drug and murder cases.
Charges will also be slapped against jail guards Arnel Ganzon, Diana Rose Novelozo, Lee Eric Loreto, King Jeroh Martin and Pepe Piedad Jr., all contractual employees.
Dera, a co-accused of former senator Leila de Lima in her pending drug charges, was apprehended along with the security escorts as they returned to the NBI compound before midnight on June 21 onboard a marked NBI van.
He admitted previous trips that were also without court orders.
Dera’s counsel claimed there was a medical emergency that prompted the trip but the group also met with Dera's female friend and dined at a restaurant in Makati City.
Authorities likewise seized cash that were allegedly Dera’s payment for being allowed to sneak out of the premises of the NBI compound.
“After evaluation of the evidence, the assigned prosecutor found sufficient evidence to hold the respondents for trial. There is probable cause in finding that Dera induced Godoy, Ganzon, Novelozo, Loreto, Martin, and Piedad to assist him escape from prison and that Godoy, Ganzon, Novelozo, Loreto, Martin, and Piedad facilitated the escape of Dera from his detention facility,” according to a DOJ statement.
Godoy, as a public officer, will be charged under Article 223 (Conniving with or consenting to evasion) of the Revised Penal Code while the rest, as private individuals, will be charged under Article 156 (Delivery of prisoners from jails). (PNA)
