Manila Court Acquits Confessed Drug Dealer Kerwin Espinosa in Violation Case
Confessed drug dealer Kerwin Espinosa has been acquitted by a Manila Regional Trial Court in relation to a violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act. This specific case stems from a police raid that occurred in August 2016 at the Espinosa residence in Albuera, Leyte.
During the raid, Espinosa and his family were not present as they had already left the country. Records show that Espinosa and his family had departed the Philippines in June 2016, traveling to Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Abu Dhabi. Espinosa was apprehended in Dubai in October 2016 and subsequently deported to Manila the following month.
With this recent acquittal, Espinosa now only faces one remaining drug-related case in Baybay, Leyte, for which he had been granted bail, as well as two additional cases for violation of the Anti-Money Laundering Act.
In a surprising turn of events, the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 64 granted Espinosa’s demurrer to evidence plea after the prosecution failed to establish a conspiracy for drug trading. Alongside Espinosa, Lovely Impal, Wu Tuan Yuan (also known as Peter Co), and Marcelo Adorco filed this motion.
A demurrer to evidence is a formal request to dismiss a case based on insufficient evidence. The Makati court ruled that the alleged participation of Impal, Espinosa, and Yuan in the conspiracy was solely based on Adorco’s recanted testimony, which was deemed both untrustworthy and inadmissible due to violations of his constitutional rights.
The court added that the collective testimonies of the police officers were not strong enough to prove that the Espinosa Group conspired to commit illegal drug trade or trafficking. It emphasized that the police officers lacked personal knowledge of the alleged crime.
These developments raise questions about the case and highlight the need for robust evidence to secure convictions in drug-related offenses. The acquittal serves as a reminder that the burden of proof lies on the prosecution and underscores the importance of upholding constitutional rights throughout legal proceedings.
While Espinosa still faces other charges, the recent court rulings shed doubt on the strength of the prosecution’s case against him and the alleged drug conspiracy. The next proceedings in Baybay, Leyte, as well as the cases related to the Anti-Money Laundering Act, will continue to unfold, shaping the future legal landscape surrounding Espinosa.
