THE Office of the Ombudsman has directed former Sulu Gov. Abdusakur M. Tan and three others to answer kidnapping and graft complaints filed against them.
The Ombudsman ordered Tan and private respondents Ahamdjan Hassan, Dolphy Hairal Abdulkahal and Gulamo Uddin to refute the allegations on October 26 with a deadline of 10 days.
However, respondents’ counsel Ryan Jumaani asked the Ombudsman for an extension of 30 days to submit counter-affidavits for the kidnapping and graft complaints filed against them.
Jumaani urged the Ombudsman to give them until December 6 to comply.
The complaints were filed in connection with kidnapping of a German and Der Speigel correspondent Andreas Lorenz in Sulu on July 2, 2000.
Lorenz, released after 25 days in captivity, identified an alias “Philip” and two other men as his captors.
In his affidavit, complainant Temogen Tulawie accused Tan and the other respondents of kidnapping the German journalist.
Tulawie said Philip is Salip Abdullah whom the victim met at the residence of Tan. He also submitted a copy of Lorenz’s diary and an affidavit from Der Speigel Foreign Editor Olaf Ihlau to back his allegations against the respondents.
Meanwhile, Ihlau, in his affidavit, said he personally delivered the ransom money to the house of Tan after an assurance that he was in contact with Lorenz’s kidnappers.
Ihlau said he executed his affidavit after being informed by a colleague that Tulawie has been accused of being behind the kidnapping of Lorenz.
Last year Tulawie questioned the victory of Gov. Abdusakur Tan. Abdusakur is a son of the former governor of Sulu.