A court in San Fernando, Pampanga handed a guilty verdict against Jonathan Morales, a former agent of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), for the crime of perjury.
The perjury case against Morales stemmed from his testimony against illegal drug suspects Albert Co Chua, also known as Cai Hai Ying, and Aaron Tan, alaso known as Wen Chen Miao, in 2011.
Morales retracted his affidavit, and said that his superior, PDEA Director Lyndon Aspacio, forced him to testify against the two suspects.
The court sentenced Morales to four months of imprisonment, and handed him a fine worth Php 1,000.
Morales recently served as a resource person in the inquiry of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs on 'PDEA Leaks' scandal.
The former PDEA agent testified regarding the authenticity of the leaked PDEA documents that implicate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to illegal drugs use.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice welcomes the verdict of the court against Morales.
"May this serve as a reminder to everyone that the court of law was founded by truth and justice where lies and falsehood have no place as it erodes the credibility of our government in dealing with its affairs," DOJ Sec. Jesus Crispin Remulla said.
