CHIEF STATE Counsel (CSC) Ricardo V. Paras III passed away on Sunday, Jan. 21, the Department of Justice (DoJ) confirmed. In a statement, the DoJ said it mourns “the sudden demise of CSC Ricardo ‘Dickie’ Paras III this morning,” adding, “We ask the pious members of the DoJ family to pray for the eternal repose of his soul.” The cause of Mr. Paras’s death was not specified. Some of the cases Mr. Paras handled were the $81-million Bangladesh Bank heist in 2016 and the controversial joint venture agreement between the Bureau of Corrections and the Tagum Agricultural Development Corp., which was questioned in 2017. — Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz
