EDITORIAL - Another retraction

Perhaps the approaching end of an administration is giving certain persons newfound courage. Following the retraction of self-confessed drug dealer Kerwin Espinosa’s statements linking Leila de Lima to the illegal drug trade, former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos also reversed his testimony against the senator.

Both Espinosa and Ragos claimed they were merely forced to say that De Lima accepted money from drug traffickers to finance her campaign for the Senate in 2016. Ragos, the government’s star witness, alleged that he raised a total of P10 million from inmates in the New Bilibid Prisons who were engaged in drug trafficking, when De Lima was the justice secretary. The BuCor is under the Department of Justice. Ragos testified that the money was handed over to De Lima’s driver and former lover, Ronnie Dayan.

Unlike Espinosa, Ragos publicly identified the persons who allegedly coerced him to frame up De Lima, led by former justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and former undersecretary Raymund Mecate. Ragos also alleged that during his detention on drug charges at the National Bureau of Investigation, NBI Deputy Directors Rachel Angeles and Vicente de Guzman “made my life difficult.”

There has been no comment so far from Aguirre, but a DOJ prosecutor said charges against Ragos are being considered by a crime watchdog group for lying. Malacañang has downplayed the turnaround of the star witness, stressing that the retractions, made after five years, will have no bearing on the drug-related cases filed against De Lima, which have kept her detained without bail at Camp Crame.

Since the administration is the one being accused of a frame-up, an honest-to-goodness search for the truth may have to wait until an unbiased team is in place in the DOJ. Based on Ragos’ latest statements, De Lima’s camp, which has been seeking her release at least on bail, can initiate a formal complaint against those accused of framing her up.

On the other hand, if the administration believes in the credibility and strength of the drug cases against De Lima, it can pursue perjury charges against Ragos and Espinosa. Both prosecutors and De Lima’s defense team should push for the speedy resolution of the court cases. The resolution should be the best gauge of who’s telling the truth, and whether justice has been served or subverted.