Photo File From THEPHILBIZNEWS
Custom broker cum “fixer” Mark Ruben Taguba and eight others are facing additional charges over the P6.4-billion shabu shipment that was slipped through the Bureau of Customs in 2017.
The Department of Justice has found probable cause to indict Taguba and the following for violations of the three provisions under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), Eirene Mae Tatad,
Teejay Marcellana, Chen Ju Long alias “Richard Tan,”/“Richared Chen”, Fidel Anoche Dee, Chen I. Min, Jhu Ming Jyun, Li Guang Feng alias “Manny Li”, Dong Yi Shen alias “Kenneth Dong”.
There were also seven still unidentified people were also indicted in the case.
All are facing charges for misdeclaration, misclassification and undervaluation of goods declaration; unlawful importation or exportation and facilitating the transportation of articles and imported in violation of the law of the CMTA.
While Tatad, Taguba, Marcellana, Chen, Li and Dong all the Bureau of Customs’ allegations “that they conspired and participated in the importation of dangerous drugs from China.”The other respondents failed to submit their counter-affidavits, according to the DOJ.
In its resolution, the Department of Justice said that it did not find any merit on the respondent’s claim that the shipment that the signed only showed the importation of “cutting boards, foot wears, kitchen wares and ‘moulds.’”
“The documents would not recite the clandestinely imported goods. The dangerous drugs were concealed with legally imported merchandise on the chance that the former could escape detection,” the DOJ said.
The Justice Department also said that the respondents’ defense that they were not aware that the shipment contained drugs “deserves scant consideration.”
In the resolution which was penned by Assistant State Prosecutor Charlie Guhit said, “What matters is that they committed act/s which has a vital connection to the chain of conspiracy, that without such act, the unlawful importation would be unsuccessful.”
The violation of Republic Act 9165 or Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 over the importation of the same shipment before the Manila regional trial court is being charged against Taguba and others.
At one point, Taguba implicated Presidential son Paolo Duterte and his brother in law Manases Carpio from corrupt activities within the Customs. However, for some strange reason, Taguba later on recanted and apologized to Paolo Duterte and Manases Carpio and dubbed the accusation he was once said as “fake news” and cleared both Duterte and Carpio.
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