'Justice for sale' scheme at CA no longer new - VACC

Comm. Dante Jimenez |  ABS-CBNnews.com

MANILA - "Justice for sale" transactions at the Court of Appeals (CA) are no longer new, according to the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC).

VACC founding chairman Dante Jimenez made the statement following the Coalition of Filipino Consumers' call for an investigation into CA justices who allegedly sell their decisions in exchange for millions of money.

Jimenez claimed many of the cases filed by the VACC against drug lords were dismissed because the judges were bribed.

He urged the CA's clerks of court who are privy to the alleged illegal transactions not to be afraid and come out to expose the anomalies.

He said the VACC is willing to give them support.

The "justice for sale" issue was also brought up by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who accused that several CA judges issued a favorable ruling for Makati Mayor Junjun Binay after being bribed.
Jimenez also pressed the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to resume the probe into alleged fixer "Ma'am Arlene," tagged as the "Janet Napoles" in the judiciary.

The name "Ma'am Arlene" first surfaced in 2013.

She allegedly throws parties for members of the CA and trial court judges. She also allegedly gives expensive gifts to members of the court in exchange for favorable rulings in cases.

‘Red tape’ slows down toxic milk tea probe

                                               by Jaime R. Pilapil and CATHERINE S. VALENTE| Manila Times

Police investigating the death of two people after they took a sip of a milk tea beverage believed to be laced with poison Manila on Saturday claim they’re having a difficult time coordinating with the Food and Drug Administration which they said have been requiring “too much” paper work.

Investigators from the homicide section of the Manila Police District sent samples of the beverage to the FDA for laboratory testing, but the agency’s staff allegedly refused to examine the specimen right away due to certain “requirements”.

Chief Supt. Rolando Nana, chief of the MPD, said they’ve been urging the FDA to test the samples while it’s still “fresh”.

FDA officer-in-charge Nicolas Lutero III however, said they already started started laboratory examination procedures, but insisted that the police still need to submit a medical abstract and an investigation report. He said they expect to come up with the laboratory test results early this week.
Manila City Hall inspectors immediately shuttered Ergo Cha Milk Tea store located along Bustillos Street in Manila after the suspected food poisoning incident on Thursday which led to the death of the store’s owner William Abrigo, 57 and customer Suzanne Dagohoy, 28.

According to Christopher Joseph S. Orozco, an emergency room physician at the Ospital ng Sampaloc where the victims were taken, the other customer Arnold Aydalla, 34 had been discharged.
“From all indications, there really was poisoning involved but it’s only the police who could tell if it was accidental or deliberate,” he told The Times.
Even Malacañang has taken interest on case.

“We’d wait for further results of the investigation before we make any comment. I don’t want to take the results as they seem on the surface,” Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte
said on Radio ng Bayan on Saturday.

The Manila City Hall immediately ordered the closure of the milk tea store. It’s employees have been taken into police custody for investigation.