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MANILA, Philippines ? (UPDATE) The Hong Kong police official who was stopped at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for allegedly not declaring empty shells from an M16 armalite rifle has been allowed to leave the country, justice undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar said on Thursday.
Salazar, in a briefing, said Chief Inspector Li Kwai Wah had the required clearance from the Philippine Police to bring out the empty shells but not the clearance from the Department of Justice, which has been tapped as the lead office in the inter-agency committee investigation into the botched hostage rescue at the Quirino Grandstand last August 23. (Eight tourists from Hong Kong were killed in the hostage-taking by a dismissed police officer who was also killed in the police assault.)
"We had an agreement that all pieces of evidence they will collect and bring with them must be cleared first with DoJ," Salazar said.
The official said the four M-16 and four shells from a .45 caliber gun came from test fires done on slain hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza's firearms by the Hong Kong police investigators here in the country.
Salazar said Li was not even part of the Hong Kong investigation team, but was asked ? being the Chinese territory's head coordinator with the Interpol ? to bring out the bullets to Hong Kong by the investigators.
Li declined from making any comment while he was being taken out of the NAIA-Police Center for Aviation Security at around 3 p.m. He was scheduled to leave for Hong Kong at around 5 p.m. on Thursday.
