Pharmally execs decry continued detention
THE Court of Appeals (CA) dismissed for being moot and academic the petition for habeas corpus of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation Executive Twinkle Dargani, following her release from detention by the Senate on January 11.
In a resolution signed by Judges Apolinario Bruselas Jr., Filomena Singh and Bonifacio Pascua noted that “no further action need be taken with respect to petitioner Twinkle Dargani.”
However, the resolution made no mention of the other petitioner — Mohit Dargani — who since November 2021 has continued to remain in the Pasay City Jail together with Linconn Ong, another Pharmally executive, on the orders of Senator Richard Gordon, of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, and Senate President Vicente Sotto.
The three executives were among those subpoenaed by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee but the three executives were the only ones who agreed to attend the Senate probe on the alleged irregularities in the procurement of Covid-19 supplies and were subsequently held in contempt by the Senate.
Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, representative of the Pharmally executives, in a press conference cited details of the case which he said may have been overlooked in reports about the issue.
“Remember only the three showed up and tried to give their testimony but were forbidden to speak up and give their side of the story. The Senate records will show that they were not even allowed to read their statements prior to the start of the hearings.
“Even more interesting is that the two remaining Pharmally executives have been treated worse than convicted criminals — limited to no visitation rights, limited interactions and communications with their lawyers among other things, and they have not been charged with any crime,” Topacio said.
“The two businessmen and of course Miss Twinkle Dargani were trapped and silenced, and I called on the Court of Appeals to set them free.” He assured everyone that both will face whatever charges are filed against them in the proper courts,” he added.
In related reports, House of Representatives Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability chairman Rep. Michael Aglipay expressed his support to free the two-remaining incarcerated Pharmally Executives since both chambers said the cases should already be filed against the owners and officers of Pharmally.
Senate President “Tito” Sotto and Senator Ping Lacson have expressed their opinion that one of the executives — Linconn Ong — be set free if he makes himself available to face charges.
In addition, the former Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission chair Greco Belgica said in an interview the Blue Ribbon Committee investigation was in fact an effort to discredit the government’s anti-corruption drive.
Belgica added that the Commission on Audit through COA Chairman Mike Aguinaldo has testified during the Senate hearings that there were no irregularities in the purchase of Covid supplies.
