ANGELES CITY, Pampanga - A local court on Thursday rescheduled its hearing on the kidnap-slay case of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo as the lawyer of the alleged mastermind did not show up.

The lawyer of Supt. Rafael Dumlao failed to attend the continuation of the trial due to a hearing on a different case on the same day at the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court.

Dumlao's camp filed a motion to reset the hearing. The Angeles City court scheduled to May 24, adding that it would no longer entertain further motions for postponement.

Dumlao, who was chief of the now dissolved Philippine National Police Anti-Illegal Drugs Group, attended the hearing, along with the other accused SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel, Jerry Omlang, and Gerardo Santiago.

They are charged with kidnapping for ransom with homicide, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, and carnapping over Jee's abduction in Angeles City and murder at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City on Oct. 18, 2016.

He had been seized in the guise of a drug raid. Jee's death was only found out in January 2017 after his wife appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte for help.

Dumlao was arrested after the Department of Justice indicted him and two others for Jee’s killing following a reinvestigation. He has denied all charges and accused prosecutors of bias.

• Look at evidence, not conjectures—Dumlao