JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Monday vowed to review the dismissal of parricide charges against Bohol provincial board member Niño Rey Boniel over the killing of his mayor wife.
Aguirre said he was surprised by the withdrawal of the cases against Boniel and two other accused, Willy Hoylar and Restituto Magoncia Jr., through a petition for review resolution that reversed and set aside the earlier finding of probable cause by the Lapu-Lapu City Prosecutor’s Office.
Aguirre explained that while the resolution was issued by his office, it was signed by Undersecretary Reynante Orceo who was assigned to review the case.
“I’m going to meet with the Usec involved and hopefully he would be able to explain to me what happened and whether it was the correct decision,” Aguirre told reporters.
The DoJ, already in the middle of controversial dismissal of drug charges against Cebuano businessman Peter Lim and self-confessed drug trader Kerwin Espinoza and the provisional acceptance of pork barrel scam queen Janet Lim-Napoles in the witness protection program, again drew flaks over the exoneration of Boniel over the killing of his wife Gisela, who was mayor of Bien Unido town.
“Rest assured that I will make the necessary correction if I have to,” Aguirre said.
Aguirre was in the convention of prosecutors in General Santos City last week when the review resolution was released by the DoJ.
The review resolution set aside the earlier resolution of investigation prosecutors in Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu for lack of jurisdiction.
However, it was the DoJ that sought the transfer of the case from Bohol to Cebu to spare the resolution of any political influence.
In the latest resolution, the DoJ granted the petition for review filed by the accused.
Boniel was accused of shooting his wife Gisela and dumping her body into the sea in June last year.
Gisela was reportedly seized by unidentified men.
The charges were based on the testimony of an employee of the Bien Unido municipal hall who tagged Boniel as the killer.