Former Philippine President Faces Criminal Charges Over Botched Raid
" the filing said. that The fact remains that, at the time, particularly before and during the actual implementation of Oplan Exodus, Purisima was under preventive suspension, and
that Purisima, despite being under preventive suspension, indeed played an active role in Oplan Exodus,
Relatives of the dead officers accused Mr. Aquino and the officials of "criminal negligence," saying
that they had approved the operation despite knowing that the police chief, Alan Purisima, had been suspended in an unrelated corruption case.
The official, Conchita Carpio Morales, the ombudsman of the Philippines, said there was probable cause to charge Mr. Aquino, his police chief
and the head of the commando unit that carried out the operation.
By FELIPE VILLAMORJULY 14, 2017
MANILA — The official in charge of prosecuting government misdeeds in the Philippines on Friday ordered
that criminal charges be filed against former President Benigno S. Aquino III for a botched assault in 2015 on a Muslim rebel camp that left 44 police commandos dead.
Cellphone messages between Mr. Aquino and Mr. Purisima, longtime associates, showed
that Mr. Purisima "played a major role in the botched operation" despite his suspension, according to a filing in the case by Ms. Morales’s office.
Mr. Purisima appeared to have been allowed to participate
and run the operation under Mr. Aquino’s oversight, "thereby giving pseudo legal power to a suspended official," Ms. Morales said.