DEPARTMENT of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo Guevarra warned over the weekend DOJ officials and employees – including those in attached agencies – from engaging in illegal activities.
Guevarra issued the statement following the arrest in an entrapment operation of a DOJ contractual employee for robbery/extortion.
“The DoJ is the principal agency mandated to administer criminal justice,” he said.
“Thus, any personnel of the DoJ, in whatever capacity or status, who gets involved in criminal activities should expect a stricter treatment under the laws that he is duty-bound to enforce and implement,” Guevarra said.
Just recently, government probers filed formal charges against an employee of the DOJ shortly after his arrest for allegedly demanding a hefty P1 million from a customs broker supposedly for a retired police officer.
Charged with robbery/extortion by the National Bureau of Investigation was Louie Miranda, a contractual employee of the DOJ’s Witness Protection Program.
According to NBI Deputy Director Ferdinand Lavin during a press briefing Friday, Miranda was entrapped in an operation last Tuesday inside a coffee shop in Quezon City.
Miranda was caught with marked money from complainant Ramir Gomez.
Lavin said Miranda was allegedly demanding P1 million from customs brokers.
The concurrent NBI spokesperson added that Miranda would even allegedly tell customs brokers that if the P1 million is not paid, “it will be raised to P10 million” next year.
