Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Tuesday the National Bureau of Investigation has not found “any basis for a willful sabotage” in the lambanog poisoning incidents in Laguna and Quezon, but it is now identifying the people who could be held liable for other crimes.
He said the NBI already had a preliminary report on its probes on the lambanog or coconut wine-poisoning incidents that killed several people and hospitalized 300 others.
“The NBI did not find any basis for a willful sabotage angle, Guevarra said.
He said the investigation on the sabotage angle “pertains to the participation of persons other than the manufacturers or distillers of the liquor to willfully ruin the trade.”
But the NBI’s investigation is continuing to identify the people that could be held criminally liable for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, serious physical injuries.
“What the NBI has so far is a preliminary report. The NBI has to identify the culprits and charge them accordingly,” Guevarra said.
“The NBI is still in the process of identifying the manufacturers of the toxic liquor and preparing the appropriate charges against them.”
Guevarra said he expected the NBI to complete its investigation by January.
The NBI is basing its report on the information its agents gathered from the victims, those who were hospitalized, and the relatives of those who died after allegedly drinking lambanog.
The NBI said it did not find any third party who would deliberately attempt to ruin the business of lambanog makers.
The investigation showed that the victims consumed lambanog that was tested positive for methanol, a toxic substance that attacks the internal organs when ingested.