DFA cleared to cancel ‘fugitive’ Ping’s passport — Justice chief 08/06/2010

DFA cleared to cancel ‘fugitive’ Ping’s passport — Justice chief

08/06/2010 Now that Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson is already considered a “fugitive from justice,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is legally allowed to cancel the passport of the lawmaker, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said. She, however, stressed it is still up to the DFA whether to grant the request of the private and state prosecutors to have Lacson’s Philippine passport canceled. Lacson is facing two counts of murder in connection with the murders of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000. The senator left the country on Jan. 5 or three days before the DoJ recommended the filing of two murder cases against Lacson.   His last known location was in Rome, Italy. De Lima stressed the court considers as “fugitive from justice” any person who has been formally charged in court, but that person opted to evade the law rather than face the charges against him in court. She added there is no longer a necessity for a final conviction or a formal ruling from a court declaring a person fugitive.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100806hed3.html

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