The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed criminal complaints for perjury and cyber libel against the 18 former bodyguards of fugitive former lawmaker Zaldy Co and their lawyer before four Regional Trial Courts (RTCs) in Metro Manila.
DOJ spokesperson Jose Dominic Clavano? (Actually user gave Polo Martinez; use that) Polo Martinez said on Wednesday that the Informations were filed on Tuesday before the RTCs in Caloocan, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, and San Juan.
“The Informations were filed in strict adherence to the applicable rules on jurisdiction and venue. Filing all the cases in a single venue, without a legal basis for each offense, would itself be contrary to those rules,” Martinez said.
He explained that venue for cyber libel cases is determined under Section 2.1 of the Rule on Cybercrime Warrants, while perjury cases are generally filed where the allegedly false affidavit was subscribed and sworn.
The charges stem from complaints involving the execution and dissemination of a joint sworn statement, as well as related press conferences, interviews, social media posts, and other online publications.
The group, referred to by the DOJ as the 18 “maleta boys,” faces 10 separate Informations consisting of six counts of cyber libel under Section 4(c)(4) of Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, and four counts of perjury.
Lawyer Levito Baligod was included as a co-accused in certain Informations alongside the former bodyguards.
The DOJ said a separate Information for one count of cyber libel under the Cybercrime Prevention Act will also be filed against Baligod.
Other complaints covered by the resolutions were dismissed after prosecutors found no prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction.
According to the DOJ, the findings were based on the evidence submitted by both parties during the preliminary investigation.
The department added that approving the prosecutors’ recommendations means there is prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction for purposes of preliminary investigation.
In a social media post, Baligod claimed the cases were deliberately filed in different courts to make it more difficult for the respondents and before they could file a motion for reconsideration.
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