(Eagle News)–Another judge has inhibited herself from hearing the criminal cases in connection with the 2016 kidnapping and murder of Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo.
With her inhibition from the kidnapping for ransom with homicide, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, and carnapping cases against Supt. Rafael Dumlao, Police Chief Master Sergeant Ricky Sta. Isabel and Jerry Omlang, Judge Irin Zenaida Buan of the Angeles City Regional Trial Court Branch 56 became the second judge to recuse herself from such after Judge Irineo Pangilinan, Jr. in March last year.
Another accused, Roy Villegas, was discharged as a state witness last year.
Both the prosecution and the accused had asked Buan to inhibit, citing her alleged partiality.
Buan, however, denied the prosecution’s first motion for inhibition.
“To insist on trying these cases despite a continuing call for recusal will already conjure an erroneous image of a judge holding on to a case under a continuous cloud of doubt,” Buan said in her Sept. 2 order.
The cases will be re-raffled to another judge.
In Oct. 18, 2016, of Jee and his househelp were abducted from his Angeles City home in the guise of an anti-illegal drug operation.
Jee was reportedly strangled to death by Dumlao’s group in the national police headquarters in Camp Crame.