The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) recommended to the justice department the filing of multiple murder and perjury charges against a police team that served a search warrant in a jail cell that ended in the death of a town mayor and an inmate in a jail in Leyte province.

In a statement on Tuesday, the NBI said multiple murder charges should be filed against 24 members of the regional criminal investigation group and regional maritime unit operatives who joined the serving of a search warrant to Albuera town Mayor Rolando Espinosa and Raul Yap in their cell.

The transmittal to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II by the NBI was done on December 2, the NBI said.

“After conducting an exhaustive investigation of the incidents surrounding the killing of Mayor Espinosa and Yap, the NBI concluded that the testimonies of several witnesses had disputed the claim of an alleged shootout between the CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) operatives and inmates Mayor Espinosa and Raul Yap,” the NBI statement said.

The application for a search warrant, the NBI statement said, “was maliciously obtained by the applicants since the deponent’s affidavit was perjured.”

The operation was led by Superintendent Marvin Marcos, head of the regional criminal investigation group. Marcos was relieved by the Philippine National Police in October due to alleged drug links, but President Rodrigo Duterte ordered PNP Director General Ronald Dela Rosa to reinstate him.

Dela Rosa relieved the 24 policemen were relieved on their duty on November 10, five days after the incident.

Marcos and Superintendent Santi Matira was among those the NBI recommended to charged with multiple murder by the NBI along with Chief Inspector Leo Laraga, Po3 Norman Abellanosa and Paul Olendan for the search warrant “maliciously obtained”. It also recommended perjury charges against Olendan, all for violations of the Revised Penal Code.

The NBI statement said “it is patently clear that the acts of the CIDG 8 operatives showed a community of purpose or an implied conspiracy. There was unison in their purpose and action, signifying that they were all moved by a single criminal intent.”

”There is no indication that the police operatives who participated in the killing had desisted or those who acted as look outs had prevented the raiding team from shooting the victims,” the NBI said. DMS