(UPDATES) THE former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agent who alleged he had a list of prominent drug users — supposedly including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — has been found guilty by a San Fernando, Pampanga, court of perjury, for giving false testimony against two suspected drug traffickers eight years ago.
In a decision promulgated on Wednesday, San Fernando, Pampanga Municipal Trial Court (MTC) Branch 9 Acting Presiding Judge Jason Alquiroz sentenced Jonathan Morales to four months imprisonment.
Morales was also ordered to pay a fine of P1,000 with subsidiary imprisonment in case of insolvency.
Based on court records obtained by The Manila Times, the former PDEA agent was charged for stating under oath that Wen Chen Miao, also known as Aaron Tan, and Albert Co Chua, also known as Cai Hai Ying, were selling, delivering, transporting or distributing illegal drugs, “knowing fully well that the said testimony is false.”
Morales gave his testimony on June 15, Aug. 11 and Sept. 21, 2011, as one of the prosecution’s witnesses, being the arresting officer in the drug buy-bust operation on May 3, 2010, in San Fernando City that led to the arrest of the two suspects.
During his direct examination before RTC Branch 43, he elaborated under oath that the anti-illegal drug operation conducted against Chua and Miao was legitimate.
However, during cross-examination, he recanted his previous testimonies and admitted that the operation was not legitimate.
He further testified that evidence had been planted on the two arrested suspects, in an operation orchestrated by his superior.
In his decision, Alquiroz said he found no evidence to support the claim by Morales that he was forced and intimidated by his superior to execute an affidavit and testify in court about the legitimacy of the operation.
The judge said the superior was not even present when Morales swore and subscribed to his affidavit before the state prosecutor.
Morales was the one who claimed to have signed the supposed leaked PDEA pre-operation report in 2012 that linked now-President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and actress Maricel Soriano to illegal drugs.
In May, the former PDEA agent was cited in contempt by the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs during a hearing on the alleged 2012 PDEA operation report for “continuously lying” before the panel.
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