JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Friday ordered the creation of an “elite team” of probers to conduct a re-investigation into the questionable deaths of eight inmates who died at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa.

“I asked NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) Director Medardo De Lemos to form an elite team to look into this matter. It is our priority to find out the real cause of their deaths,” Remulla said.

On Thursday, Remulla admitted that the cases the NBI filed against 22 police officers of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) implicated in the deaths before the Department of Justice (DOJ), are not “strong” enough to secure a conviction.

“Siyempre tiningnan natin yung mga papeles at parang nung binabasa namin ng staff natin, ng ating mga usecs, parang it would not build a case to convict. It was going to build a case that will acquit.”

“So ito po ay pinapa-case build up ko pa rin sa NBI para malaman kung ano talaga ang nangyari sa loob,” Remulla said.

The inmates died under suspicious circumstances while detained at the NBP Maximum Security compound, the control of which was under the members of the NCRPO security and medical teams.

Their deaths have spawned suspicion of foul play because they died during pandemic lockdowns from May to June 2020 despite testimonies from other prisoners that they were in “good health”. Except for one inmate, their remains were said to be hastily cremated.

Following the death of inmate Jaybee Sebastian and other inmates, the NBI was formally tasked to launch an investigation.

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Hector Lawas