DOJ-Comelec panel to present 'poll fraud' witnesses next week

The joint panel of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Commission and Elections (Comelec) will begin presenting witnesses who will substantiate allegations of the supposed massive cheating during the 2007 polls next week, Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Thursday. "Kami naman ang (mag)lalabas... with our own set of witnesses. High-profile or not, we don't know yet as we are still on the validation process. But, I'm sure somebody will come out next week," he told reporters at the Comelec headquarters in Manila on Thursday. Last Wednesday, Justice Sec. Leila de Lima said the DOJ is in touch with a "high-profile witness" who will testify about supposed election cheating. "For the last several days, we have been interviewing witnesses. Hindi ko alam kung high profile or not. Definitely, the long and short of it is, by next week we have something," said the poll body chief. The DOJ-Comelec joint fact-finding team is expected to fly to Maguindanao soon to interview at least 12 election supervisors who may have participated in the alleged election fraud in 2004 and 2007. "They are available. They are still incumbents. Some are retired... we are going to bring them in for the formal investigation," Brillantes said. After the fact-finding stage, Brillantes said the preliminary investigation panel will then determine if there is probable cause that warrants the filing of criminal cases before the proper courts. "We are trying to do is to have the implementation of the electoral sabotage, which imposes (a) penalty of life imprisonment," he said. Also, Brillantes noted that for the moment, the joint body will leave to the Senate the probe into the alleged 2004 poll fraud. "Our arrangement is Senate yung sa supposed 2004 cheating, then the findings will be turned over to joint committee," he said. The Senate blue ribbon and electoral reforms committees are expected to conduct a series of hearings on alleged cheating during the 2004 polls. — LBG, GMA News