A lawyer and his two companions, one of them a Chinese national, were arrested yesterday in Taguig City for allegedly trying to bribe a ranking police officer in exchange for the release of another Chinese who was nabbed for human trafficking charges in Makati City last Wednesday.
Police Major Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, director of the National Capital Region Police Office, identified the suspects as Joselito Vasquez, 56, lawyer; Xiangfei Huang, 43; and Meljohn Palma, 43.
According to Eleazar, the suspects were apprehended in an entrapment operation at the NCRPO headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa at around 2 a.m.
He said the suspects were negotiating for the release of one Li Xuemei, one of the two Chinese men arrested by the NCRPO-Regional Special Operations Unit in Makati last Wednesday for human trafficking charges. The operation resulted in the rescue of six Vietnamese women who were allegedly used for prostitution and arrest of Li’s cohort, Kuang Meiting.
The suspects, as initiated by Vasquez, allegedly offered a P2-million bribe to Police Col. Rogarth Campo, head of the NCRPO-RSOU, at his office for the immediate release of Li.
Prior to this, Palma, who works as a messenger-driver for Vasquez, brought an envelope containing P200,000 for Campo, Eleazar said.
However, Campo refused to entertain the suspects and secretly told his men to prepare when the next offer comes.
Vasquez told Palma to bring another envelope containing the bribe money to Campo. After the suspects offered the envelope to Campo, the police officer ordered his unit to arrest them. (Martin Sadongdong)
