The eight police officers from the Eastern Police District (EPD) were released after posting bail, in connection with the kidnapping case of a Chinese businessman in Las Piñas. The court said the evidence against them was weak.
Judge Eric Ismael Sakkam set bail at ₱300,000 each for the accused police officers. They are four staff sergeants, two corporals, and two patrolmen. The case involves the alleged theft of ₱75 million in cash and jewelry from businessman Li Jie.
In a decision dated November 3, the court granted their bail even though the kidnapping for ransom case is non-bailable. One of the reasons was the failure of the victim, who is considered the most important witness in the case, to testify.
The judge said that the absence of Li Jie's testimony greatly weakened the prosecution's case. There was another witness, also Chinese, but he also did not testify. As a result, he said, there was a lack of solid evidence against the defendants.
According to the investigation, the police allegedly took Li to the EPD headquarters in Pasig and demanded ₱100 million as ransom. It was later discovered that the identity of the suspect was wrong as the real person with the warrant had already been arrested in March 2023.
