Case vs Japanese robbery suspect dismissed in Taguig
The case of light threats against Toshiya Fujita, a Japanese national who is allegedly one of the four robbery suspects, was dismissed on February 1, the Taguig Metropolitan Trial Court (MeTC) said Friday.
MeTC Branch 116 Clerk of Court Merly Pagkalinawan said Fujita was charged with violating Article 283 of the Revised Penal Code for supposedly threatening to disbar a lawyer named Francis Alcantara.
“Allegedly, he was filed a disbarment case. That is the complaint affidavit. I am not saying it is the merits of the case,” Pagkalinawan said in an ambush interview.
Pagkalinawan said the National Prosecutorial Office sent them a motion to withdraw information on January 31.
“The motion to withdraw stated the grounds that there is a consistent absence on the part of the private complainant. However, the court made an independent study. A revisit of the probable cause, and finds that there is none. That is the reason why the motion is granted and it has the effect of the dismissal of the case,” she said.
Pagkalinawan said the first hearing was set on November 22, 2021, but neither Fujita nor the complainant appeared.
“None of the parties appeared, the complainant, the accused. Even if there were counsels representing them there (are) no appearances,” Pagkalinawan told reporters.
The second hearing was set to March 2 but Fujita did not show up.
“With this date, the accused failed to appear but this time, we secured a return stating that he has moved out. This compelled the court to issue a warrant of arrest. That is why, before the motion to withdraw information, the status is there is a pending warrant of arrest,” Pagkalinawan said.
According to Pagkalinawan, with the case being effectively dismissed, the “warrant of arrest is already lifted and set aside”.
“In 15 days they can file a motion for consideration but we have not yet acquired jurisdiction of the accused,” she added.
The Japanese government previously requested the Philippines for the deportation of Fujita, Tomonobu Saito, Kiyoto Imamura, and Yuki Watanabe.
The four suspects, who are detained at a detention facility in Taguig, were reportedly involved in 14 robberies in some Japanese prefectures and the murder of an elderly woman in Tokyo.
The mastermind has allegedly been sending instructions to their members in Japan through an app on a cell phone. Jaspearl Tan/DMS
