ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 04, 2007) – A former lawmaker convicted of raping an 11-year old girl was flown to Manila on Friday, a day after a local court denied a petition by his lawyers for a writ of habeas corpus.
Former Zamboanga del Norte congressman Romeo Jalosjos, clad in a jacket and wearing a cap, was escorted by policemen here and boarded a private plane at around 4 p.m. He would be brought back to the national penitentiary.
Jalosjos, convicted to serve two life terms for raping an 11-year girl, was originally granted executive clemency by President Gloria Arroyo after serving 13 years in prison. But the pardon was recalled after Arroyo’s decision drew wild protests from human rights advocates and women’s groups.
Police arrested Jalosjos last month after he walked out of prison in Manila and flew by plane to his hometown in Zamboanga del Norte province.
Jalosjos was first released on Dec. 16 from the national penitentiary, but he was forced to return the next day after the Philippine media reported about his release.
On Thursday, Jalosjos’ lawyer in Zamboanga City, Alfredo Jimenez, said local Judge Jesus Carbon denied their petition for writ of habeas corpus.
Jalosjos insisted he is a free man and blamed politics for the recall of the presidential pardon. Jimenez said they will appeal the decision of the court. Jimenez said the court based its decision to alleged wrong computation of national penitentiary officials on Jalosjos' prison terms.
The writ of habeas is a legal procedure by which a court inquires into the lawfulness of a person's confinement. It takes the form of an order from a court or judge requiring the custodian to produce the prisoner in court for a judicial investigation into the validity of the detention. (Mindanao Examiner)
No comments:
Post a Comment