The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Thursday it is working on for the dismissal of the violence against women and children (VAWC) charges against two Japanese sought for deportation by the Japanese government after a Pasay City court ruled to continue hearing the case.
DOJ Secretary Jesus Remulaa said the cases are being worked out now so they will be dismissed and a clearance that there is no more pending case before anything else in accordance with the rules that are there in deportation proceedings.”
Remulla said prosecutors are working to have the case dismissed as they consider the charges “contrived” or a scheme to keep Yuki Watanabe (a.k.a. Luffy) and Tomonogu Saito in the Philippines and prevent their deportation.
Remulla made the statements after the Pasay RTC ruled to continue with the presentation of prosecution witnesses against Watanabe on the next hearing date, February 7, potentially thwarting efforts to deport four of 17 Japanese detainees ahead of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s scheduled visit to Japan on February 8.
Watanabe is sought by the Japanese government to answer charges that he directed a burglary ring in Japan through the social media messaging platform Telegram. In one burglary in Japan, Watanabe’s henchmen reportedly killed a 90-year-old woman.
