Ex-Bangsamoro lawmaker denies link to Laos drug smuggling attempt

MANILA, Philippines — Former Bangsamoro parliament member Edrieza Hadji Nasser Rimbang on Friday denied any involvement in the attempted smuggling of P3.5-billion worth of illegal drug shipment from Laos, lamenting that he was being implicated simply because he is a Duterte supporter.

Rimbang issued the statement after Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla tagged the former parliament members as the alleged financier of the entire operation involving a private jet bound for the Philippines that was reportedly loaded with 23 pieces of luggage containing 521 kilograms of shabu.

READ: Ex-BARMM exec now tagged as brains behind Laos drug cargo

“On the claim that we are involved in what happened in Laos, that is not true,” Rimbang said in a social media address, partly in Filipino. “I did not commit a crime, I did not do anything that would be bad for our country.”

“Please do not link me to Laos [issue] just because I am a supporter of Duterte. It is true that I was appointed by former President Rodrigo Duterte during his term. My service to the people of the BARMM is a debt of gratitude I owe to the government and to Duterte,” he also said.

He also said that since the accusation, his family feared for their life.

“It’s not just the false accusations against me, it’s the impact on my children that hurts the most. They’ve had to stop their schooling, they can no longer attend their classes,” he said. “While doing their daily livelihood, they feel ashamed and afraid.”

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief Isagani Nerez told lawmakers that they already have “solid evidence” linking Rimbang to the operation.

Nerez even tagged Rimbang as one of the “masterminds.”

Rimbang, however, stressed that he is not charged with any criminal cases.

“There are no cases against me, and I am not a criminal. But, through the harassment that you did to me, you have judged me as if I were a criminal, even though I am not one, which is inhumane,” he said. /jpv