Ex-Lacson aide loses bid to stop extradition

MANILA – A United States District Court judge has denied the petition by former Senior Supt. Michael Ray Aquino to stop his extradition to the Philippines to face trial for the murders of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000.

This was disclosed by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima who welcomed the ruling dated October 21 of US District Court Judge Stanley Chesler of Newark, New Jersey.

Chesler affirmed the previous ruling of US Magistrate Judge Esther Salas of the US District Court of New Jersey granting the US Justice Department’s request for the extradition of Aquino, one of the former aides of Sen. Panfilo Lacson who was implicated to the murders by another former aide, Cezar Mancao, who was earlier extradited to Manila and is now a government witness.

In denying Aquino’s petition, Chesler said he sees no need to disturb the opinion of Salas, who found that upon review of both written and oral submissions, the Philippine government “has met its burden in providing sufficient evidence to establish probable cause.”

A US District Court judge is superior to a US Magistrate Court judge. The Philippines was represented in this case by the US justice department, according to a Malaya report.

The report quoted De Lima as stating that once the US court ruling ordering Aquino’s extradition becomes final and executory, the DOJ will immediately work for Aquino’s return.

“I was told that this latest ruling is still appealable to a higher court. So if Michael Ray Aquino avails of that remedy, we will have to wait for the ruling,” said De Lima.

Aquino, who remains in jail in New Jersey, has been charged as one of the principal accused in the Dacer-Corbito case that is still pending before the Manila regional trial court.

Former police officer Cezar Mancao earlier implicated Sen. Panfilo Lacson as the one who gave Aquino the order to summarily execute Dacer and his driver.

Lacson was PNP chief and head of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) when Dacer and his driver were murdered. Aquino was operations chief of the PAOCTF while Mancao was chief of Task Force Luzon of the PAOCTF.