Why Percy Lapid case was archived
JUSTICE Undersecretary and current officer-in-charge Raul Vasquez has described the decision to archive the murder charges against former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag as an act of prudence on the part of the court.
Vasquez stated that when an accused individual falls outside the jurisdiction of the court, the prosecution or trial cannot proceed. He stressed that the crucial factor is whether the accused is within the jurisdiction of the trial court.
“When an accused is not under the jurisdiction of the court, the prosecution or the trial cannot resume. The first crucial act is the fact that the accused is subjected within the jurisdiction of the trial court,” Vasquez said.
“Cases like that should not be delayed for a long time because it may affect the performance of the Court. So they archive it subject to revival,” he continued.
The Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court has chosen to archive the murder case against Bantag and former deputy security officer Ricardo Zulueta in connection with the highly-publicized Percy Lapid murder case, involving the killing of intermediary Jun Villamor.
