9-6-2023 (MANILA) A Philippine police officer has been sentenced to up to 40 years in jail for the abduction and murder of a South Korean businessman during the drug war era under former president Rodrigo Duterte, as revealed by court documents seen by AFP on Thursday (June 8).
Jee Ick-joo, the victim, was taken from his residence north of Manila in October 2016 by a group that included narcotics officers, who posed as conducting a drug raid. Tragically, he was later killed inside the national police headquarters in the capital.
The incident raised concerns about the presence of rogue elements within the police force and prompted Duterte to temporarily suspend police involvement in his brutal drug war, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of individuals. The drug war is currently under investigation by the International Criminal Court.
According to a copy of the verdict, a judge at the Angeles City trial court on Tuesday found Senior Police Officer Ricky Santa Isabel and shopkeeper Jerry Omlang guilty of “kidnapping with homicide.” They were also convicted of abducting Jee’s Filipino maid, who was subsequently released unharmed, and stealing the businessman’s vehicle. The court sentenced them to a maximum of 40 years behind bars.
During the trial, it was revealed that the kidnappers drove Jee to the police headquarters in Manila in his own vehicle, where he was strangled. His body was then cremated, and his ashes disposed of.
However, Superintendent Rafael Dumlao, Santa Isabel’s superior in a nationwide anti-drugs task force, who had been accused of orchestrating the kidnapping and killing, was acquitted of the charges. The task force was disbanded following the incident.
The owner of the Manila mortuary, where Jee’s body was cremated, passed away during the trial.
The court noted that several other unidentified suspects linked to the case were still at large.
The prosecution’s case heavily relied on the testimony of the maid and another police officer who participated in the abduction but later became a state witness.
The victim’s widow testified that she paid more than half of the eight million-peso ransom (US$143,000) demanded by the kidnappers. They also withdrew money from Jee’s bank account through an ATM and stole his golf clubs. However, the judge ruled that the prosecutors had not provided conclusive evidence that the kidnappers were the ones who received the ransom money.
