MANILA: Former Bangsamoro parliament member Edrieza Hadji Nasser Rimbang on Friday denied any involvement in the attempted smuggling of illegal drugs worth P3.5 billion from Laos, saying he was being implicated simply because he is a supporter of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.
Rimbang issued the statement after Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla identified the former parliament member as the alleged financier of the operation involving a private jet bound for the Philippines that was reportedly loaded with 23 pieces of luggage containing 521 kilogrammes of shabu.
“On the claim that we are involved in what happened in Laos, that is not true,” Rimbang said in a social media address, partly in Filipino. “I did not commit a crime, I did not do anything that would be bad for our country.”
“Please do not link me to the Laos [issue] just because I am a supporter of Duterte. It is true that I was appointed by former President Rodrigo Duterte during his term. My service to the people of the BARMM is a debt of gratitude I owe to the government and to Duterte,” he added.
Rimbang also said his family had feared for their lives since the accusations emerged.
“It’s not just the false accusations against me, it’s the impact on my children that hurts the most. They’ve had to stop their schooling, they can no longer attend their classes,” he said. “While doing their daily livelihood, they feel ashamed and afraid.”
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Isagani Nerez told lawmakers that authorities already had “solid evidence” linking Rimbang to the operation.
Nerez also identified Rimbang as one of the alleged “masterminds”.
Rimbang, however, stressed that he had not been charged with any criminal offences.
“There are no cases against me, and I am not a criminal. But, through the harassment that you did to me, you have judged me as if I were a criminal, even though I am not one, which is inhumane,” he said. - Inquirer/Ann
