MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Manila Court has found Peter Joemel Advincula or “Bikoy” guilty of perjury connecting with his accusation that three human flight lawyers were part of a plot to oust President Rodrigo Duterte.
Advincula was sentenced to a minimum of three months and one day to maximum one year imprisonment on May 24 by the Manila Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 17 Judge Karla Funtila-Abugan.
The perjury charges stemmed from the complaint filed by lawyers from Free Legal Assistance group (FLAG), Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, Lorenzo Tanada III, and Theodore Te.
The three lawyers were allegedly involved in a purported plot to overthrow President Duterte in 2019 named “Project Sodoma,” according to Advincula.
Tanada posted on his Twitter account stating that the court said Advincula tagged them as members of “Project Sodoma” a group that tried to oust Duterte through “sedition, inciting to sedition, libel, cyber libel, estafa, harboring a criminal and obstruction of justice.”
In a viral video in 2019, Advincula has also alleged that the Duterte family members were involved in illegal drug trade.
Judge Funtil-Abugan did not award the lawyers for moral damages from Advincula defaming them as there was no basis to award nominal damages.
“The prosecution’s evidence primarily sought to establish the elements of the crime of perjury and not the legal rights of the private complainants that were violated as a result of the criminal act of the accused,” she declared.
Advincula alleged Tanada, Dikono, and Te meet in March and May 2019 to plan the oust of Duterte.
The three disputed his claim saying that Diokno and Tanada were attending a forum in Ateneo de Manila University.
Te has admitted to meeting Advincula to see if the man was qualified as a client for FLAG.
Advincula also mentioned other members being part of the plot such as Vice President Leni Robredo and senatorial candidates.
The Philippine National Police filed charges of conspiracy to commit sedition. In the end, only 11 people, including Advincula and former Senator Antonia Trillanes IV, were charged. Leni Robredo and other figures were cleared of the charges. – WhatALife!/Zain
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