Manila’s DoJ charges Sulpicio

SULPICIO Lines today is facing more legal trouble from the Princess of the Stars sinking – but this time from the Philippines Department of Justice.

The government filed the criminal charge of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide against Sulpicio’s VP Edgar Go and the ro-ro’s Captain Florencio Marimon, adding that there was no proof that the captain was killed in the casualty.

More than 800 people were killed when the ship sank in a typhoon off Sibuyan Island in June last year.

The DoJ told the Manila trial court that the charge had been delayed because the government had spend a “long time” gathering evidence. It recommended 320,000 pesos ($6,700) bail for each of the accused.

More than 500Bn pesos in damage claims have also been filed against the company. The Public Attorney’s Office said the amount consisted of 47 cases lodged before a trial court in Cebu, the ro-ro’s homeport, and 70 cases in Manila regional trial court.

Apart from claims by families of the victims, shippers who lost their cargoes when the ro-ro sank are filing legal claims. The first shipper to do that was Cebu’s Fastcargo Logistics, which urged the court to order Sulpicio to pay more than 7M pesos for the loss of its eight vehicles.

Formal proceedings for the claims in Cebu court began only on Friday. Sulpicio moved to dismiss those cases. SULPICIO Lines today is facing more legal trouble from the Princess of the Stars sinking – but this time from the Philippines Department of Justice.

(Source: American Shipper)