The Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to file cases against judges who granted freedom to foreign POGO employees who were arrested in Las Piñas in June for alleged involvement in human trafficking operations.
“Four of the courts in Las Piñas have actively granted habeas corpus petitions,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said in a media briefing on Monday.
“I want to tell you that I have instructed… the Bureau of Immigration to file the necessary cases against the judges who willingly granted this habeas corpus petitions without any colatilla,” he added.
Remulla said there should have been a colatilla on the order for their release that states they can be freed unless they are being detained for other causes.
“That way, they are ignoring the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Immigration of the Department of Justice with regard to illegal acts of aliens in the country. So we are filing cases against the judges,” he said.
He said the court may have granted the petitions of 600 foreigners.
When sought for confirmation, Atty. Christian Vargas, the legal counsel of the Xinchuang Network Technology, said he would have to check the figures but that the habeas corpus filed was “mostly granted by the courts.”
On June 27, authorities implemented a search warrant following alleged human trafficking situation in the compound of Xinchuang. Police reported that 1,534 Filipinos and 1,190 foreigners were rescued.
Vargas has denied allegations of human trafficking or illegal activities taking place at Xhinchuang, noting that the business of the company is legitimate. —KBK, GMA Integrated News
