Probable Cause To File Charges Against Rappler Found by NBI
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) found a probable cause to file formal charges against the local news site ‘Rappler’.
On Monday (January 22, 2018), Manuel Eduarte, head of the NBI Cyber Crime Division (NBI-CCD) said that the subpoena received by Rappler’s founder Maria Ressa was the end of the probe.
Eduarte said that they had already found a probable cause to sue Rappler, which was prompted the bureau to get the side of the news site.
“We’re already wrapping up … We already found probable cause, that’s why we’re now getting their side,” Eduarte said quoted by Inquirer.
The NBI executive said that they have found probable cause to file complaints against Rappler due to its 2012 report about businessman Wilfredo Keng who allegedly lend a vehicle to Chief Justice Renato Corona.
In the report, Rappler said that the chief justice used the SUV lent by Keng in and out of the Supreme Court until end of his impeachment trial in the Senate.
Previously, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has revoked the registration of Rappler for allegedly violating the restriction on foreign ownership of mass media.
However, the local news website denied the accusations and explained that Rappler remains 100 percent Filipino owned.
President Rodrigo Duterte even called Rappler as fake news outlet publishing false reports and information about the current administration.
Eduarte said that the online libel case was 50/50 complete based on NBI’s investigation. He also said that Ressa has 10 days to submit her counter-affidavit, which would be used to determine whether the case will be push through or not.
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