MANILA, Philippines – Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Thursday claimed that eight inmates who testified against Sen. Leila De Lima were twice offered P100 million to recant their testimonies.
Aguirre said the inmates who testified at House hearings on the New Bilibid Prison drug trade last year and are being held at the Armed Forces of the Phlippines Custodial Center were told that they have to recant their statements against De Lima before February 25 to get the money.
Aguirre said the move was part of an alleged “People Power” plan against the administration. The Justice secretary has in the past said that the killing of a Korean businessman by rogue police officers may be part of a plot to discredit the Duterte administration.
He has also claimed that senators wanted to implicate him in a bribery scandal at the Bureau of Immigration that the Senate investigated. He later apologized to the senators.
The first offer was allegedly made by a senator and an incumbent Laguna district representative from the Liberal Party via a speakerphone call on Wednesday afternoon. The second offer was relayed to them by fellow inmate Clarence Dongail on Thursday, the Justice secretary claimed.
Aguirre said the inmates turned down both offers. He clarified that the P100 million were offered for all the eight inmates.
“Kaninang umaga, it was repeated but the offer was now using De Lima,” the Justice secretary told reporters.
The Justice secretary vowed to name the officials who allegedly bribed the inmates soon. He described both supposed bribers as “well-funded and evidently without scruples.”
“We will name it. Handang i-confirm ng walong inmates,” he said.
He was also coy when asked to name who funded the supposed bribe attempts.
“Kung sino nag-fund, kung sino nagpapabaligtad doon sa mga inmates na alam naman ninyo kung sino, doon nanggaling iyon. Sino ba maraming pera?,” he said.
Aguirre also assured the public that the DOJ will take the matter very seriously and go after those who are responsible in a bribery he described as “tampering of the highest order.”
Last September, eight inmates testified against De Lima at the House Committee on Justice hearing into the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. These inmates include: Herbert Colanggo, Peter Co, Vicente Sy, Jojo Baligad, Noel Martinez, German Agojo, Joel Capones and Jerry Pepino.
Aguirre was in hot water earlier this month over allegations that he had allowed the high-profile inmates privileges like air-conditioning and access to gadgets. He denied allowing the privileges and has ordered an investigation into the leak of classified documents alleging that he permitted the VIP treatment.
He said then that the documents were leaked to discredit him before the congressional Commission on Appointments, which has since confirmed his appointment as Justice secretary.