Philippines’ Justice Secretary in hot water again: Remulla faces fresh graft, detention charges over Alice Guo arrest

MANILA: Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla is once again in the legal crosshairs, facing a fresh complaint for arbitrary detention — just days after a similar case related to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest was thrown out by the Office of the Ombudsman.

This time, lawyer Ferdinand Topacio filed the complaint on Monday, Sept 15, targeting Remulla and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Jaime Santiago. The filing centres on the controversial warrantless arrest and continued detention of former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and businesswoman Cassandra Ong, an incorporator of Whirlwind Corp. Both women have been linked to suspected illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) operations in Central Luzon.

According to Topacio, Guo and Ong were taken into custody on August 22, 2024, at the NBI headquarters without a court-issued warrant. He claimed the arresting agents had no personal knowledge of a crime and did not catch the pair committing any unlawful act — conditions required for a legal warrantless arrest.

Citing statements from Santiago, Topacio alleged that the detention was carried out solely on Remulla’s orders. “When I personally queried respondent Santiago about the cause of my client’s detention… I was informed… that despite the clear legal and procedural infirmities… Santiago only pushed through with the same because he was ordered to do so by respondent Remulla,” Topacio wrote in his affidavit.

The complaint doesn’t stop at arbitrary detention. Topacio also accused Remulla and Santiago of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, claiming the two caused “undue injury” to Guo and Ong by depriving them of their liberty without legal basis. He cited “manifest partiality, evident bad faith, or gross inexcusable negligence” in their actions.

The complaint marks the second legal challenge against Remulla filed on the same day. Earlier, Acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte — son of former President Rodrigo Duterte — filed separate kidnapping and illegal detention charges against Remulla and others over the controversial International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest order for his father.

Remulla has dismissed the complaints as politically motivated. “This is clearly an organised effort to derail my candidacy for Ombudsman,” he said in a statement.

The Office of the Ombudsman has yet to respond publicly to the new set of allegations.