Justice Secretary Leila de Lima is not buying the story of high-profile  inmate Rolito Go that he was abducted while inside the premises of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.
“The NBI is not convinced by the version of Rolito Go. But we don’t want to conclude without first gathering evidence,” De Lima told reporters.
Go was presented by police early yesterday, claiming he and his nephew were abandoned by the abductors after they failed to come up with a P1-million ransom.
De Lima said she instructed officials of the  National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to interview Go, his nephew Clemence Yu and others at NBP to determine the veracity of the kidnapping claim.
The justice chief also expressed doubt on the claim of Go that he was just at the Ina ng Awa Parish when forcibly taken by the alleged kidnappers.
“I told them to interview individuals in the minimum security facility if he was really there at that time because we received an information that he has been gone for two days and one night already and was forced to come up with his abduction story after he was uncovered,” she revealed.
The justice secretary said he personally visited Go on Thursday night and the latter claimed NBP chaplain, Msgr. Robert Olaguer, could attest to his presence in the parish.
De Lima said she also told the special NBI team led by deputy director for intelligence Ruel Lasala to check on several phone call records.
Go was able to talk to his sister Julie on the phone while being held by the alleged abductors.
She dismissed the possibility that the alleged abductors were NBI men as narrated by Go.
“Even Rolito Go finds it ridiculous for uniformed men to identify themselves when conducting illegal activity,” De Lima said.
Meanwhile, NBP director Supt. Richard Schwarzkopf Jr. yesterday disclosed Go’s privileges had been suspended.
Schwarzkopf said the minimum security inmate privileges of Go had also been temporarily removed.
Go is now confined at the NBP Hospital inside the prison’s maximum security compound.
Go who claimed he was kidnapped by four men who introduced themselves as members of the NBI on Tuesday night was recaptured by police authorities after 24 hours of disappearance along with his nephew Clemence Yu, a nurse.
Prior to his disappearance, Go was allowed to stay at the NBP’s minimum security compound.
Go who was presented by the PNP before the media at the PNP headquarters on Wednesday morning claimed he and his nephew Clemence were abducted by the suspects and brought to a farm in Batangas City.
Go further maintained  they were released and given bus fare back to Manila by the suspects.
Go and Yu were able to talk to their family when they borrowed the mobile phone of the driver of the Lucena Bus where they boarded back to Manila.
PNP chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome, for his part, said they are still verifying Go’s claims to determine if he is telling the truth or just creating a scenario since he was caught out of his cell.
Go was sentenced to life sentence for killing  engineering student Eldon Maguan in a traffic altercation in 1991.
Schwarzkopf admitted that placing Go inside the minimum security will be a risk to the NBP.
“So we will place him in the medium or maximum security camp,” Schwarzkopf said, adding  Go can still serve as a lay minister to the parish church inside the NBP compound.
Yu will also be temporarily banned from the NBP to attend to his uncle’s medical needs.
“There are doctors and nurses inside the NBP and they will be the ones to attend to Go’s medical needs,” the Bucor chief said, noting that Go’s family will still be allowed to visit him at the NBP compound.