ShareThisMANILA — Former police Sr. Supt. Michael Ray Aquino, one of the suspects in the killing of publicist Salvador Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corvito in November 2000, arrived in the country Sunday following his extradition from the United States.
Aquino, while handcuffed, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminal 2 at about 6:40 a.m. aboard Philippine Airlines flight PR-103, 10 years after he fled to the United States on June 24, 2001.
Over 50 agents from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) were deployed to secure the arrival of Aquino.
The former police officer was escorted by two NBI agents after he was extradited from the United States.
A member of the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force, Aquino said he did not oppose the extradition to give him a chance to clear his name and put to rest speculations against him.
He denied knowledge and participation in the alleged Dacer-Corbito case, and even cleared former President Joseph Estrada and Sen. Panfilo Lacson on the double murder case.
“Wala pong utos sa akin si President Joseph Ejercito Estrada o si Sen. Panfilo Lacson to kidnap, murder anyone specifically Mr. Salvador Dacer and Mr. Emmanuel Corbito. Wala na po akong maidaragdag dahil wala po akong karagdagang kaalaman,” Aquino said.
American authorities arrested Aquino in 2005 for alleged unauthorized possession of US confidential documents, which is punishable by life imprisonment.