MANILA, Philippines – Peter Lim, the Cebu-based businessman accused of involvement in the drug trade, did not show up for the first day of his preliminary investigation at the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday, August 14.

Only his lawyer Magilyn Loja was at the DOJ on Monday. “The setting for today is only for us to be furnished a copy of the complaint. We were deputized by our client to attend today’s hearing to obtain a copy on his behalf,” Loja said.

The lawyer added that her client Lim “is just around.” According to information from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) as of August 2, a certain Peter Go Lim arrived in the country via the Mactan-Cebu International Airport from Hong Kong last June 27. Rappler is still obtaining updated information from the BI as of posting time.

“[My client] vehemently denies that he is the person referred to as Peter Go Lim aka Jaguar. He’s not that person, he has always denied it,” Loja said.

The preliminary investigation is the start of official proceedings to look into the allegations against Lim more than a year after President Rodrigo Duterte named him a drug lord. 

A subpoena was served on Lim in his residence in Cebu City on August 1, but only a security guard received it. 

Detained drug personality Kerwin Espinosa was present at the hearing, but he refused to talk to reporters.

Kerwin Espinosa attends DOJ prelim inv on drug trade, conspiracy. No Peter Lim. @rapplerdotcom pic.twitter.com/TNUDnHYTyD

— Lian Buan (@lianbuan) August 14, 2017

Lim is facing a complaint of drug conspiracy and trading filed early July by the police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Major Crimes Investigation Unit.

The complaint accuses Lim of supplying “staggering amounts of shabu” to Espinosa’s drug network.

Espinosa is also included in the complaint along with Peter Co, Marcelo Adorco, Max Miro, Lovely Impal, Ruel Malindangan, Jun Pepito, Jeremy alias Amang, a certain Ricky, Warren, Tupie, Jaime, Yawa, Lapi, Royroy, Marlon, Bay, and several John Does.

Adorco, who identifies himself with the Espinosa drug group and was arrested in a buy-bust operation in July 2016, was the one who named Lim as one of their suppliers.

“That person is not present here…I requested that he be presented so that he can subscribe to his affidavit before this panel. Unfortunately, the reason given to us is that it will be very costly for him to be brought here. Nonetheless considering that the crime imputed to my client is very grave, we find it [necessary] that he should be presented,” Loja said. 

The lawyer said she will advise her client to attend the next hearing.

Lim, who mingles with Cebu’s elite, had been spotted twice with Duterte in large parties June last year. He had previously sought a meeting with Duterte to claim he’s not involved in drugs.

The police complaint however says otherwise.

“The Peter Lim who had supplied them staggering amounts of shabu is the same Peter Go Lim, a businessman from Cebu City, who was named by, and later surrendered to President Rodrigo Duterte in July 2016,” the complaint said. – Rappler.com