Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra assured that State prosecutors will ask the Makati City Regional Trial Court to issue a hold departure order to prevent Cebu-based businessman and suspected drug lord Peter Lim from leaving the country.
Guevarra said this after a panel of prosecutors chaired by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera issued a resolution on Friday which declared that probable cause has been found to charge Lim and three others with two counts of conspiracy to commit illegal drug trade in violation of Section 26(b) in relation to Section 5, Article 2 of Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive
Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
“I expect our prosecutors to file an urgent motion for the issuance of hold-departure orders against all the accused as a matter of course,” Guevarra said.
Indicted with Lim before the Makati RTC are self-confessed drug lord Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa who is currently in government custody; Espinosa’s arrested associate Marcelo Adorco; and Ruel Malindagan.
Guevarra learned from the Bureau of Immgration that Lim is still in the country. “Per BI records, he left for a short trip abroad last March but returned after a few days. So Peter Lim is supposed to be in the country,” he said. (Jeffrey G. Damicog)
