MANILA - Before he became the primary suspect in the October kidnap-slay of a Korean national, SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel was charged for the 2007 abduction of a woman in Philippine National Police chief General Director Ronald ''Bato'' dela Rosa said Thursday.

At a Senate inquiry into Ick Joo Jee's murder, Dela Rosa said Sta. Isabel was allegedly involved in the kidnapping of a certain Arlene Tan in Caloocan.

The case, he said, did not prosper and was dismissed.

Sta. Isabel, for his part, denied involvement in Tan's abduction.

"Wala po akong nagiging kaso, puro bintang lang po nila iyung sinasabi nila sa akin," he said. "Hindi po ako involved d'yan."

(There has never been a case against me, those are mere accusations. I was not involved there.)

Thursday's Senate probe tackled the murder of Korean business Ick Joo Jee, allegedly while in custody of Sta. Isabel and several cops, who abducted him from his home in Pampanga under the guise of an anti-drug operation.

The kidnappers allegedly extorted millions of pesos from Jee's wife after strangling the victim to death inside Camp Crame on the same day of his abduction.

ABS-CBN News Channel, 26 January 2017