BREE DEATH CASE | Billionaire son’s lawyer urges to defer arrest warrant, says drug possession evidence is weak

October 25, 2021 , 09:49 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(October 25, 2021) – The legal counsel of the son of one of the country’s richest businessmen on Monday appealed to a local judge not to issue an arrest warrant against his client because the evidence against him on the illegal possession of drugs is weak.

Dennis Manalo also petitioned the San Fernando regional trial court in La Union province to dismiss the drug case against Julian Ongpin due to lack of probable cause. Ongpin was not being held for the death of his partner, a famous artist, who appeared to have hanged herself in a beach resort.

“Ang kanila sinasabi sa nasasakdal na si Julian ay nahulihan daw ng possession ng cocaine, pero base sa salaysay ng mga police na nagimbestiga hindi naman kay Julian nakuha, nakita sa kwarto kung nasaan biktima na si Bree Jonson,” Manalo said.

“Wala sila nakitang any identification sa loob ng pouch kung kaninong pouch yon. So ngayon sinasabi nila since may nakita silang pouch sa isa sa mga kama, e pouch na yun na pagmamay-ari ni Julian Ongpin. That’s a very unfair conclusion.”

The lawyer argued there is no direct evidence showing that he was the the owner of the black pouch containing cocaine, which was discovered in the hostel room where his partner Bree Jonson was found dead last month.

Ongpin has also not been given the chance to see the resolution from the Department of Justice (DOJ) containing the findings that would support an arrest against him, Manalo said.

Last week, the DOJ indicted Ongpin for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, after the police seized 12.6 grams of cocaine in the hostel room he and Jonson stayed in before she died. The case was non-bailable.

Ongpin, the son of billionaire Roberto Ongpin, was released by the provincial prosecutor after being briefly jailed over the incident, which sparked outrage from the public over preferential treatment of wealthy drug suspects. His father also served as trade minister under the government of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the 1980s.

Manalo said Ongpin should be given fair treatment as public opinion was too harsh on him because he comes from a wealthy family. Ongpin is facing a non-bailable offense and it is not easy for him to be put in that situation.

“Mr. Ongpin as a son of wealthy businessman in the Philippines and that’s a very unfair speculation, simply belongs to a wealthy family e gagamitin na natin ang ating batas para pagbintangan ng kung anu-ano kahit walang ebidensya pang-suporta dito,” Manalo said.

(MM | With reports from Marlene Alcaide, News 5)

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