New court skirmish looms over Gerry Ortega murder

THE Court of Appeals (CA) refused to halt the Department of Justice (DOJ) order to reinvestigate former Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes in connection with the unsolved killing of Palawan radio broadcaster and environmentalist Dr. Gerry “Doc Gerry” Ortega.

In a resolution, the appellate court, penned by Associate Justice Angelita Gacutan, did not grant Reyes’s plea for a temporary restraining order (TRO) on a new DOJ probe, and asked instead contending parties to lodge their respective explanations.

The CA gave 10 days to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to comment about the issue, before issuing a ruling as to the prayer for injunction. After DOJ’s submission of its comment, Reyes’s camp will be asked to make a reply.

The pleadings that will be filed by the parties will be the basis for the CA if aninjunction order shall be issued or not. While the case is pending with the DOJ, the re-investigation shall proceed.

Reyes filed a petition before the CA seeking a stop to DOJ from its reinvestigation.

Reyes filed his petition, through his lawyer Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, who sought a preliminary injunction and issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop the DOJ’s re-investigation of the Ortega killing.

De Lima called for a new probe despite the findings of a DOJ prosecutor panel that there was no probable cause linking Reyes to the killing of Ortega.

Assistant State Prosecutor Allan Stewart Mariano, the new chair of the DOJ panel of prosecutors, leads the re-investigation of the case.

De Lima was accused by some of her prosecutors of political grandstanding despite her inhibition from the case.

De Lima inhibited because she was the former election lawyer of Reyes. -Manila Times

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