TACLOBAN CITY – The civilian witness of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Eastern Visayas when it applied for the controversial search warrant for town mayor Rolando Espinosa, Sr. is said to be missing together with his family.
According to an investigator who refused to be named, the lone civilian was a former prisoner of the Leyte Sub-jail in Baybay City which was tapped by the CIDG Region 8 as its witness when they applied for a search warrant before Basey, Samar Regional Trial Court Branch 30 Judge Tarcelo Sabarre Jr.
The investigator added that the witness and his family where nowhere to be found immediately after the death of the late Albuera town mayor who was gunned down after reportedly shooting it out with authorities who were out to serve a search warrant inside the mayor’s prison cell early this month.
Espinosa was on the list of politicians and police generals named by President Duterte to be allegedly involved in illegal drugs.
The town mayor motored to Manila to surrender himself to PNP Chief, Director General Rolando M. dela Rosa, last July.
Following the deaths of his lawyer and followers, Espinosa sought police custody and spent two months inside the police station where his room doubled as his home and office.
On October 3, Espinosa was arrested in connection with the raid on his house on August 10 to 11 which yielded illegal drugs and firearms.
He was brought to the sub-provincial jail after his plea to be detained in the police station was denied by Regional Trial Court judge Carlos Arguelles. (Nelson L. Abrematea)