Detained De Lima marks third year in jail as delayed case wears on
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Leila de Lima on Monday asserted her innocence as she marked her third year in detention after three counts of drug-related charges
The senator wrote this in a handwritten release from her cell at Camp
She is facing charges of conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading, which the senator to this day
In January, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, whose department filed the charges against her in 2017, said that much of the delay was De Lima's own doing
He said that De Lima, who was once chief of the Department of Justice herself, brought her delays on herself
"Let me say it again: I am innocent of the trumped-up drug charges against me. I may not be a perfect person, but I have never betrayed my duty as a public servant," the senator said.
"And if anyone would take a serious look at the details of my cases, including the ludicrous perjured testimonies of the so-called witnesses against me - they will see that I am merely a victim of political persecution."
TODAY, Monday, Feb 24 marks the third anniversary of the
— Phelim Kinepolitically-motivated imprisonment of #Philippines @SenLeiladeLima, a victim of a gross injustice directed by Prez #Duterte and his minions. #FreeLeilaNow https://t.co/KuKXo98nhu pic. twitter.com/x8VAoHIkce ? ? (@PhelimKine) February 24, 2020
De Lima continues to assert her innocence in the case, saying that the charges held against her were
"Duterte and his merry band of trolls may continue their vile narrative towards me, but the country and the world are seeing through the smoke and mirrors regarding my situation," she added.
When she sat as chair of the Commission on Human Rights, De Lima also directed investigation on then-Davao Mayor Duterte's alleged human rights violations linked to the city's infamous "Davao Death Squad."
It was supposedly during her stint as Justice secretary herself that De Lima
To date, De Lima largely enjoys the support of the international community. Towards the end of 2019, US President Donald Trump signed the country's 2020 budget bill, which included a provision banning those involved in the arrest of De Lima from entering the country. Along with this came a US Senate resolution calling for travel restrictions and financial sanctions to
READ: 2020 US budget includes
Former Human Rights Watch deputy Philem Kine voiced his support for the senator in a tweet on Monday
"Today marks the third anniversary of the
Sen. Leila de Lima on Saturday marked the first year of her detention at the Philippine National Police detention center in Quezon City.
Ahead of the anniversary of her arrest, the Senate minority and various rights groups called on the Philippine government to release her immediately.
The Department of Justice initially charged De Lima for drug trading, but over the months, the state prosecutors filed motions to amend the charges and indict the senator on conspiracy to commit drug trading instead.
De Lima is known as one of the most outspoken critics of President Rodrigio Duterte's administration.
Detained former Sen. Leila De Lima expresses dismay over the Solicitor General's petition for certiorari agains her acquittal.
"I am, of course, greatly dismayed by the OSG's move in elevating to the CA the judgment of my acquittal in one of my 3 trumped-up drug cases," De Lima says in a dispatch.
"An acquittal is an acquittal, a final and conclusive disposition of the merits of the case which, under firmly settled case law, is no longer appealable, save for very exceptional grounds or circumstances, none of which can be legitimately invoked to question the 12 May 2023 Decision of the RTC-Muntinlupa, Br. 205 exonerating me and my co-accused," she adds.
"What is exceptional here is the persistence of my persecutors to perpetuate this travesty of justice by keeping me incarcerated," the former senator and justice secretary concludes.
The remaining drug case against former Sen. Leila De Lima was raffled off to the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206, sala of Presiding Judge Gener M. Gito, her legal team says.
The remaining drug case against detained former senator Leila De Lima will be handled by Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Joseph Alcantara.
The case is re-raffled off to Court 26 after Judge Romeo Buenaventure inhibited himself two weeks ago.
De Lima is battling the drug case after years of being accused of receiving around P70 million from alleged illegal drug trade collection at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City from 2013 to 2015.
Council for People’s Development and Governance, a network of 60 non-governmental organizations, on Independence Day, called for the release of former Sen. Leila de Lima.
In a statement, CPDG has condemned the “injustices endured” by de Lima, including political prisoners and those behind bars waiting for their cases to be heard. This, they said, highlight “the disturbingly biased and problematic nature of the Philippine justice system -punishing mostly the powerless and targeted.”
“It is a critical juncture in our nation’s history, demanding that the Philippine government under [President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.] genuinely upholds his promises to rectify the prevailing ‘unfreedoms’ within our society,” they add.
Department of Justice prosecutors file an appeal on the Muntinlupa court’s dismissal of the conspiracy to commit drug charge against former Sen. Leila de Lima.
The prosecution filed a Motion for Reconsideration before the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 204 that acquitted De Lima on May 12—clearing her of her second drug case.
They say in their appeal: “With all due respect, the Prosecution most respectfully moves for the reconsideration thereof on the ground that jurisprudence dictates and the circumstances of the instant case reveal that the subsequent recantation of the witness Ragos was not able to vitiate his original testimony given in open court.”
Prosecutors also argue “there are other pieces of evidence on record to prove all the elements of the crime charged, including the role played by both accused [De Lima and her ex-aide Ronnie Dayan] in the illegal drug trading inside the [Bilibid].” — Kristine Joy Patag
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