The Department of Foreign Affairs said the two arrested Filipinos in Tokyo who are being linked to the deaths of a Japanese couple cannot be allowed yet to post bail since they are still in the pre-indictment detention stage and charges have yet to be filed against them.
“We will check if there’s already an indictment, because right now, they’re still in pre-indictment detention,” DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said in a radio interview.
The DFA official explained that in Japan, persons under arrest do not have a lawyer with them while the police interview and present the evidence against them.
“Based on the investigation, police will decide whether or not to file a case within ten days or so. So right now, it’s not yet time to post bail,” he said.
The two Filipinos were arrested for allegedly not reporting to authorities the bodies of the couple—Norihiro Takahashi and his wife Kimie—even though CCTV footage showed them in the premises.
One of the arrested Filipinos, Hazel Ann Baguisa Morales, denied the accusations against her.
The DFA said Morales already has a court-appointed lawyer.
Meanwhile, De Vega said personnel from the Philippine Embassy in Japan have yet to visit the other arrested Filipino.
“Let’s see if there will be a trial because the penalty for abandonment is three years,” the DFA official said.
“We will help them. But I hope there will be no evidence found against them because their penalty will increase,” he added.