Court permits NBI to entry Franco Mabanta, others’ devices

MANILA, Philippines — The Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) has authorised the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) cyber warrant software to look at the seized devices of Peanut Gallery Media Network (PGMN) founder Franco Mabanta and different people lately arrested for allegedly extorting cash from former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, in accordance with NBI Director Melvin Matibag.

In the Machra’s Balitaan on Tuesday, Matibag stated the Pasig RTC granted their cyber warrant software final Friday, May 15.

READ: Socmed persona Franco Mabanta nabbed for Martin Romualdez extort strive

Following the RTC’s go sign, Matibag stated the NBI can now legally open Mabanta and others’ seized devices and “obtain information, videos, pictures, text messages, and text logs, among others.”

“So the people he (Mabanta) talked to, whoever the personalities he talked to, we will have access to that, we will know,” Matibag stated.

“So also the rumors that this and that person talked to, we will have definite answers on that, that’s where we will see communications and call logs and videos and pictures on the phone of Franco Mabanta and his associates,” he added.

When requested if congressmen are anticipated to resurface upon their examination of Mabanta’s belongings, Matibag stated, “We will see who the people we talked to are—senators, congressmen, mayors, governors, personalities, whoever.”

READ: Matibag: NBI checking for different ‘victims’ of Mabanta 

Earlier, Matibag stated that the cyber warrant being utilized by the NBI goals to find out if different people have been or could be victimized by Mabanta’s alleged extortion scheme.

Mabanta and 4 people had been arrested on May 5 after Romualdez’s grievance that they allegedly tried to extort P350 million from him — a requirement they finally lowered to P300 million — in change for not releasing an alleged “exposé video” supposedly linking him to corruption within the House of Representatives. /das