The Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) has approved the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) cyber warrant application to examine the seized gadgets of Peanut Gallery Media Network (PGMN) founder Franco Mabanta and other individuals recently arrested for allegedly extorting money from former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, according to NBI Director Melvin Matibag.
In the Machra’s Balitaan on Tuesday, Matibag said the Pasig RTC granted their cyber warrant application last Friday, May 15.
Following the RTC’s go signal, Matibag said the NBI can now legally open Mabanta and others’ seized gadgets 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 said.
“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.