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Question
A suspect, ANTONIO REYES, is arrested without a warrant by a police officer at a bus terminal for alleged robbery with violence. He is brought to the Municipal Prosecutor’s Office within 5 hours. The inquest presiding officer is the arresting officer, who personally questions Antonio and records his statements, while defense counsel is not allowed to participate. The inquest lasts about 3 hours. The prosecutor later files Information for Robbery with violence. Antonio challenges the inquest as invalid on the grounds that: (1) inquest must be conducted by a public prosecutor or a judge, not by a police officer; (2) the inquest must be concluded within 24 hours from arrest; and (3) the accused has the right to counsel during the inquest. With these facts, answer: (a) Identify the governing rule on inquest and who may conduct it; (b) Explain whether the described inquest complies with the rule and why; (c) If the inquest is invalid, what remedies are available and how would that affect the Information filed?