BY JOEL CALAMBA ESCOL, Managing Editor
BASILAN Province – The Regional Trial Court in Basilan province has sentenced a Spanish national to a minimum of 16 years imprisonment for illegal possession of explosives after a plea bargain.
The Regional Trial Court Branch 1 in Basilan Province has found Abdelhakim Labidi Adib guilty beyond reasonable doubt for three counts of “a loaded small arm.”
The conviction was lessened after the suspect’s counsel entered into a plea bargain, and made the Spanish national guilty only for a lesser offense of the “possession of a loaded small arm.”
Originally, the suspect was charged with illegal possession of explosives and prosecutors found probable cause against Adib for three counts of illegal possession of explosives.
But during the continuing trial, Adib’s legal counsel opted to apply for a plea bargain which had the suspect convicted only of a much lesser offense.
The court sentenced Adib to suffer for a minimum of eight years of imprisonment for each count of the offense or a maximum of 14 years, eight months and one day.
It was learned that the Spanish national was arrested in 2018 in Basilan while in the possession of explosives, and other items.
The Department of Justice said in 2018 operatives of the Philippine Army arrested the Spanish National on the basis of a warrantless arrest. This, after they received an intel report of two suspicious individuals passing Barangay Townsite, Maluso, Basilan province.
The DOJ said after receiving the intel they immediately set up a checkpoint in said area and arrested the suspect. The suspect even tried to throw the bag he was carrying which contained the explosives but he was prevented by the arresting team.
The arresting officers found items inside the suspect’s bag, including 1 rifle grenade, 1 fragmentation hand grenade, one electric blasting cap, 1 mobile phone with battery, among other items.
The arresting team also found cash amounting to Eight Thousand Five Hundred Twenty only (P8,520.00) and the suspect’s passport.
