MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to direct the Dasmariñas City prosecutors to pursue charges against Filipino-Indian Amith Chandiramani.

In a two-page letter, Police Lieutenant Colonel Stefanio Andrenicus Rabino, chief of the CIDG Southern Metro Manila unit, urged the prosecutors to comply with the resolution, which ordered the filing of illegal possession of firearms and explosive charges against the Filipino-Indian businessman.

Rabino wanted the prosecutors to comply with the September 8 resolution of the DOJ – Office of the Regional Prosecutor, which reversed and modified the August 1 resolution of the Dasmariñas City prosecutors.

“Since this Honorable Office directed the immediate filing of additional criminal charges against respondent Amith Chandiramani, it becomes ministerial on the part of the OCP-Dasmarinas (Office of the City Prosecutor) to comply with this express directive,” the CIDG officer said in his letter.  

“Just recently, we were at the OCP-Dasmarinas to follow-up if it has acted and complied with the Resolution dated September 8, 2023. We were informed that, to date, they have not officially received the copy of the Resolution dated September 8, 2023. We find this claim as incredulous and as a ploy to delay,” Rabino added.

On August 1, the Dasmariñas City prosecutors dismissed the complaints filed by the PNP CIDG. The police was said to recover colt carbine 5.56 mm rifle and fragmentation grenade during a raid in Chandiramani’s residence in Cavite. The local prosecutions dismissed the complaint for alleged violation of the rules on search and seizure because they operatives failed to present video clips of their body-worn cameras.  

However, the regional prosecutors approved the motion for reconsideration filed by the PNP CIDG on August 14, which assailed the local prosecutors’ decision.

In June 22 this year, Chandiramani was apprehended by the authorities by the virtue of two search warrants issued by Tanauan City, Batangas Regional Trial Court Branch 66 Presiding Judge Charito Macalintal-Sawali. 

Earlier, the businessman filed a complaint against his older brother Rajiv and their mother over alleged falsification of public documents. Chandiramani alleged that his family members connived to deprive him of his inheritance from their father, Prem, who died in 2011. The inheritance costs billions of pesos in the form of real estate assets and business interests. 

The complaint is now under preliminary investigation at the DOJ. Aside from this, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla also ordered the transfer of Chandiramani’s illegal possession of firearms case to his office for case build-up and preliminary investigation. – Rappler.com