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'Medicine money' sent to Swiss trader’s kidnappers


While insisting no ransom was paid for the freedom of abducted Swiss national Carl Rieth, authorities admitted Friday that at least P80,000 in “medicine money" was sent to his abductors. Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat, who headed a crisis management committee that worked for Rieth’s release, said the businessman's friends sent the money in two installments. "May nagpadala actually ng medicine money na mga kaibigan ni Charlie Rieth. Yung unang halaga palagay ko was about P50,000, ang pangalawa was P30,000. Yan, more or less and pagkakaalam ko as chairman of the crisis management committee (As far as I know, Rieth’s friends sent medicine money, P50,000 at first and P30,000 later. I was aware of that as head of the crisis management committee)," Lobregat said in an interview on dzRH radio. But he insisted no actual ransom was paid, noting Rieth’s kidnappers had initially demanded P20 million for his release. "Ako [ay] kumbinsido (na wala) kasi hiningi ng kidnappers P20 million, sabi ng kapatid wala silang pera di sila magbabayad ng ganoong pera (I am convinced there was no ransom paid. The kidnappers demanded P20 million ransom, but Rieth’s siblings said they do not have the money to pay up)," he said. Rieth was rescued by government troops in Zamboanga City before dawn Wednesday, some two months after armed men abducted him. At least one of his suspected abductors was reported killed in a pursuit operation last Thursday. [See: Troops rescue abducted Fil-Swiss trader in Zamboanga City] Lobregat said Rieth’s vital signs were okay and many of the injuries incurred during his ordeal had healed. “Gusto niya magpahinga (Rieth wants to take rest)," he said. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV

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