HOUSE ETHICS PANEL TO INVESTIGATE REP. SINGSON / READY TO PLEAD GUILTY
MANILA, JANUARY 2, 2011 (STAR) By Paolo Romero - The House of Representatives ethics committee is set to conduct its own investigation into the case of Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson, who is on trial in Hong Kong on drug charges, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said yesterday.
�The case will definitely go to the ethics committee under (Bohol) Rep. (Erico) Aumentado,� Belmonte said in a text message.
Immigration authorities in Hong Kong arrested the lawmaker last July 11 for possession of 26.1 grams of cocaine and two tablets of Valium.
Further investigation, however, showed that he was only carrying 6.67 grams of cocaine. This allowed him temporary liberty in August after posting a HK$1-million bail.
But he was ordered to surrender his passport and was not allowed to leave the Chinese special territory until his case is resolved. He is under the custody of two Hong Kong businessmen.
Belmonte last August sent a legal team from the House of Representatives to Hong Kong to monitor the legal proceedings and assess Singson�s case to help the chamber decide on calls to have the lawmaker investigated by the ethics and privileges committee chaired by Aumentado.
Singson was not able to attend a single session at the House because he was detained before the 15th Congress opened on July 26.
Belmonte said it was necessary for the House special legal team, led by Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo, to come up with an official report on the matter.
Quimbo told reporters his report included official copies of various documents from Hong Kong, including the police report, court transcripts, and results of the initial investigation of the special territory�s anti-narcotics authorities.
Singson, in a brief telephone interview with ANC from Hong Kong shortly after his release on bail, appealed to his colleagues not to prejudge him and that they just wait for the final verdict of the courts before taking any action against him.
Singson�s lawyer John Reading last month told the Wan Chai District Court of his client�s willingness to enter a guilty plea on drug charges but would want to put on record that the illegal substance found in his possession was only for his personal use and not for sale.
Reading told the Wan Chai District Court they would present three witnesses to support their argument.
�It�s not a simple drug trafficking case. Even if it�s a drug trafficking charge, we will argue that the drugs found were for his own use. This is a strong mitigating factor,� Reading said.
Wan Chai District Court Judge Stanley Chan set the hearing on the case on Jan. 26.
�The plea and legal inquiry is fixed for Jan. 26. The defendant�s bail is extended on the same terms,� Chan said.
Singson to plead guilty By Carina Roncesvalles (The Philippine Star) Updated January 01, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (169) View comments
Hong Kong � Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson is prepared to enter a guilty plea on the drug charges filed against him, and will argue that the illegal substance found in his possession was intended not for sale but only for his own use.
Singson�s lawyer John Reading told the Wan Chai District Court that they would present three witnesses to support their argument.
�It�s not a simple drug trafficking case. Even if it�s a drug trafficking charge, we will argue that the drugs found were for his own use. This is a strong mitigating factor,� Reading said.
Prosecutor Virgina Lau said they would also present three witnesses, including customs officers and a medical expert, to support the argument. Lau also asked the court to render a sentence �as soon as possible.�
Wan Chai District Court Judge Stanley Chan adjourned the case to Jan. 26.
�The plea and legal inquiry is fixed for Jan. 26. The defendant�s bail is extended on the same terms,� Chan said.
Outside the court, Singson refused to comment on his plan to enter a guilty plea.
�I can�t comment on the case. I wouldn�t know (if it�s a good development), we�ll see on the 26th,� he said.
Hong Kong�s dangerous drugs ordinance defines trafficking as �importing� a dangerous drug into Hong Kong.
But Singson�s lawyer had asked the Justice Department to reduce the drug trafficking charge to a mere drug possession case, arguing that a small quantity of drugs was found in their client�s possession, and that there were similar cases of charge amendment. Reading also argued that the trafficking charge does not apply to dangerous drugs �in transit� as specified in the ordinance.
Singson was on his way to Macau last July 11 when he was apprehended at the customs arrival hall of the Hong Kong International Airport for allegedly bringing in 26.1 grams of cocaine and two tablets of Valium.
But after removing the drugs from the bottle which reportedly weighed 12 grams, and subjecting the narcotics to purity testing, the quantity of the drugs was reduced to 6.6 grams.
Ody Lai, the only Filipino barrister in Hong Kong, earlier explained that if the drug trafficking charges would push through and Singson would plead guilty to the offense, the jail sentence of three years and nine months will be given the standard one-third discount as provided by law.
Lai added that good behavior would mean an additional discount of nine months from the jail term. And since Singson has already been imprisoned for 40 days, his jail term would approximately reach one and a half years.
The Tsuen Wan Court allowed Singson to post a HK$2-million (P11.3 million) bail last Aug. 19 on the condition that he would stay in Hong Kong for court appearances.
Singson posted HK$1 million bail, while two of his friends here each shelled out HK$500,000 in surety bond which will be forfeited if the lawmaker will violate the conditions of his bail.
Magistrate Ernest Lin also ordered Singson to surrender his travel documents and report to the North Point Police Station between 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Daily.
Meanwhile, Rep. Singson�s father Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis Singson claimed that his 41-year-old son had pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine but contested all other charges, including trafficking, that were filed against him at the district court in Hong Kong.
�We�re optimistic about this case,� Singson told The STAR. �We are contesting other charges and the judge also did not cancel his bail despite the guilty plea. That�s good.�
The elder Singson said the next hearing was set on Jan. 26 that is expected to determine the nature of Singson�s possession of the illegal substance as well as the possible sentence.
Singson said he plans to visit his son in Hong Kong next week. He said Ronald was coping but misses his family and his work in the second district of the province.
The governor, however, said he was worried about the impact on his son�s case of the Manila hostage fiasco last year that resulted in the death of eight Hong Kong tourists and the hostage taker, a dismissed policeman.
Singson said his son�s lawyer said it appeared there was some clamor to seek vengeance through Ronald�s case in Hong Kong.
�That�s my worry. It appears some want to seek revenge, according to my son�s lawyers,� he said. With Paolo Romero
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