Agra denies knowledge, welcomes probe on massacre witness bribe try Benjamin B. Pulta 07/19/2010

Agra denies knowledge, welcomes probe on massacre witness bribe try

Benjamin B. Pulta 07/19/2010 Former Justice Secretary Alberto Agra yesterday broke his silence in the alleged P10-million bribery attempt on a vital witness in the Maguindanao massacre case. In a state-ment, Agra denied having personally met National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Anti-Terror Unit head Ric Diaz nor he received any report from him or from the law enforcement agency concerning the alleged attempt to bribe witness Kenny Dalandag during his incumbency as acting secretary of the Department of Justice. Had he been notified about “callous attempt to bribe a witness,” Agra said he would have “ordered an in-depth investigation” into the matter as this act would have frustrated his commitment at that time to prosecute the case “with earnestness and vigor.” He also said he welcomes the agency’s plan to investigate the attempted bribery case in the hope that government prosecutors could get to the bottom of this matter and take prompt and appropriate action against the guilty parties. “I am open to any probe in order to shed more light on this deplorable incident,” Agra said. He claimed that this NBI report was submitted not to the DoJ’s Office of the Secretary (Osec) but only to the DoJ’s Witness Protection Security and Benefits Program (WPSBP) under Prosecutor Leo Dacera who acted on it at his level instead of elevating it to the office of then-DoJ chief Agra.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100719hed4.html

HEADLINES Noynoy fumbles anew on Trillanes, say solons GMA to lead House opposition DoJ upholds estafa raps vs former DFA chief Agra denies knowledge, welcomes probe on massacre witness bribe try External pro-Pangilinan lobby shifts to full gear DoJ chief orders Abcede to stop ‘preemptive’ claim as PCGG chair