Manila court finds ‘Bikoy’ guilty of perjury
PETER Joemel Advincula, popularly known as “Bikoy,” who gained attention as a whistleblower on the “narcolist” controversy, was found guilty of perjury by the Manila Metropolitan Trial Court, and was sentenced to one year imprisonment.
The lawsuit was filed against Advincula by Lorenzo “Erin” Tanada III, Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, and Theodore Te, lawyers from the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG).
In a one-page order, Presiding Judge Karla Funtila-Abugan of Branch 17 stated: “Wherefore, premises considered, the Court finds accused Peter Joemel Advincula guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of perjury… Accordingly, the court hereby imposes upon him the indeterminate penalty of three months and one day of aresto mayor as minimum, up to one year and one day of prision correccional as maximum.”
The FLAG lawyers , in their complaint, asserted, “The allegation by Advincula that we, Attys. Diokno and Tanada, together with some other Otso Diretso candidates, were in a meeting with Advincula to plan and discuss this so-called ‘Project Sodoma’ is an absolutely willful and deliberate assertion of a falsehood in violation of the law.”
“Project Sodoma” was alleged to be a plot by the opposition to destabilize the then Duterte administration and install Vice President Leni Robredo as the new leader.
Diokno and Tanada strongly denied participating in the alleged meeting that took place at the Leung Hall of Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) to plan “Project Sodoma.”
