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| Southeast Asia | ||
| Corruption Cited in Philippine Escapes | ||
| 2003-07-17 | ||
| The Philippine president said Thursday that police corruption likely led to the escape from prison of three terror suspects, including a top bomb expert, and threatened to shake up the police force. The escape of Indonesian Fathur Roman al-Ghozi, an alleged bomb expert of the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah group, along with two other suspects has been an embarrassing blow to the Philippine government’s high-profile role in the U.S.-led war on terrorism. A regional hunt for al-Ghozi continued with Philippine authorities checking a claim that he slipped back to Jakarta with the help of a top Filipino police general. When it pays to bribe the very best. "I acknowledge the serious problem of corruption in the police organization and I am making no excuses for it," President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said in statement. She said it was "highly probable" that corruption played a part in the escapes from a high-security jail in the Philippine National Police’s main camp. Two other prominent detainees have escaped from the same camp over the past year. Didn’t know that. She told the police leadership to "shape up or ship out, and I will not hesitate to undertake a top-to-bottom revamp if no results are forthcoming." Those responsible for al-Ghozi’s escape will be dealt with "no matter who gets hurt," she said. She’s pissed, and women never forget. Manila alerted neighboring countries, particularly Indonesia and Malaysia, to be on the lookout for Al-Ghozi, who is accused of involvement in deadly bombings in Manila. Filipino investigators filed a criminal complaint Wednesday against four guards over the escapes.
Humm. Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes said the man’s claim was "extremely wild," but that he would nevertheless check the report with Indonesian officials. "Anybody there ever heard of this guy?" Gil angrily denied the caller’s allegation as "character assassination." Police spokesman Col. Zainuri Lubis called the claim "untrue, confusing and ridiculous." "Lies, all lies."
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| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 More info, there seems to be a little confusion on the $10 million: The Philippine government said on Thursday it was checking reports of a $10 million payoff in the escape of a notorious Islamic militant from a maximum-security prison in the capital. The comments by Defence Secretary Angelo Reyes came as President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo vowed to stamp out corruption in the police, saying that was most probably how Indonesian Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi, the chief bomb-maker of the Jemaah Islamiah network, was able to escape. Reyes also said he was checking with Indonesian officials whether al-Ghozi had reached Jakarta, as a local radio station has reported. According to Reyes, the radio station reported that al-Ghozi was now in Jakarta and that a senior Filipino police officer who helped him escape received a payoff of $10 million. "We will check on that," he said, adding that the government had received no such reports. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-7-17 9:43:05 AM |