DoJ asks NBI to probe Lapid suspect’s death

THE NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been tasked to verify the cause of the sudden death of a former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) official implicated in the 2022 murder of radio broadcaster Percy Lapid (real name: Percival C. Mabasa).

“Unravel the truth, leave no stone unturned, and don’t let anyone or anything prevent us from pursuing accountability and delivering justice,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla said in a statement directing the NBI to investigate whether or not former BuCor deputy security officer, Ricardo S. Zulueta, was a victim of foul play.

Mr. Zulueta, like former BuCor director general Gerald Q. Bantag, was wanted for alleged conspiracy in Mr. Lapid’s murder and had been in hiding until he turned up dead at a hospital in Bataan last weekend. His death certificate showed he succumbed to “intracranial hemorrhage” or bleeding in the brain.

Mr. Bantag and Mr. Zulueta are charged as “principal inducers” in Mr. Lapid’s murder on Oct. 3, 2022 in Las Piñas City and the subsequent killing 15 days later inside the National Bilibid Prison of inmate Jun Villamor — an alleged go-between in contracting the attack on Mr. Lapid. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana