The Department of Justice (DOJ) has approved the filing of cyber libel charges against former Top Gear Philippines editor-in-chief Vernon Sarne for identifying the wrong person as the gunman in a shooting incident in Manila in 2016. In an eight-page resolution, the DOJ recommended that charges for violation of Section 4(c)(4) of RA 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, be approved and filed in court against Sarne. The DOJ, however, cleared the publication’s other staff members for lack of probable cause as their participation or involvement in the act was not proven. After the fiasco on social media, Punzalan filed his complaint at the National Bureau of Investigation against Sarne, who was then editor-in-chief of the publication, and four other editors. “I have been advised by our legal counsel to refrain from commenting on this any further,” Sarne said in a text message.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 07, 2018 11:00 UTC