Press Release
October 7, 2008

TEEHANKEE PARDON ILL-TIMED; CREATES PERCEPTION THAT JUSTICE SYSTEM FAVORS THE WEALTHY

Following the release of convicted murderer Claudio Teehankee Jr. after being granted executive clemency, Senate Majority Leader and justice advocate Kiko Pangilinan today warned of possible ramifications of the hasty move.

"The public will only lose more confidence in the justice system because of this executive clemency. It is hard to understand how a life imprisonment of 40 years according to the law was reduced to a mere 14-year term. Is this because he came from a prominent family?" Kiko asked.

Teehankee was sentenced to one count of reclusion perpetua and one count of reclusion temporal, which carry a jail term of 20 to 40 and 12 to 20 years respectively for the murder of Roland John Chapman and Swedish-Filipino Maureen Hultman. He was convicted in 1995.

"Lalo lang pinagtitibay ang paniniwala ng marami sa ating bansa, lalo na ang mahihirap, na ang katarungan ay para lang sa mayaman at may padrino sa gobyerno. This is another blow to the rule of law," Kiko ended.

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