DOJ FILES CHARGES AGAINST DE LIMA
3 illegal drugs complaints filed before the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court De Lima accused of benefiting from illegal drug trade in New Bilibid Prison
The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday filed three criminal complaints against Senator Leila de Lima over her alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison.
The cases for violation of the Republic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 were filed before the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court a week after the Court of Appeals denied the senator’s petition to stop the DOJ from resolving the complaints against her.
De Lima, a former DOJ secretary and a vocal critic of President Rodrigo R. Duterte and his war on illegal drugs, vowed to put up a fight “for as long as I can.”
“This is travesty of truth and justice. Plain and simple political persecution,” she said.
The cases filed by the DOJ pertain to De Lima’s alleged violation of Section 5 (sale and trading dispensation, delivery of dangerous drugs) in relation to Section 3, Section 26 and Section 28 (criminal liability of government officials) of the Dangerous Drugs Act.
In a statement, De Lima said her lawyers will be filing the cor- responding motions as soon as the cases are raffled to a specific court branch.
“I have long prepared myself to be the first political prisoner under this regime, because the criminal charges and prosecution are nothing less than a politically motivated act by the Duterte regime to clamp down on any vocal opposition against its support for a policy of EJK (extrajudicial killing) in dealing with suspected criminals,” she said.
She said the complaints were based on “false charges”.
She took a swipe at the Duterte administration’s concept of change “where right is turned to wrong, and wrong is made right.”
“If the loss of my freedom is the price I have to pay for standing up against the butchery of the Duterte regime, then it is a price I am willing to pay,” the senator said.
Presidential Chief Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, for his part, said De Lima should welcome the cases against her because this would give her the chance to defend herself over allegations that she had allowed the proliferation of illegal drugs inside the national penitentiary during her term as DOJ secretary.
“You should be happy about that because the case will push through. She will have the opportunity to defend herself. She should welcome (the filing of cases as) it will be an opportunity to defend herself,” Panelo said in a chance interview.
Earlier, the CA 6th division denied De Lima’s petition for a temporary restraining order against the DOJ for failing to show enough proof that she will suffer “irreparable injury” if a TRO is not issued.
This paved the way for the DOJ to render its decision over the complaints filed against the senator by the National Bureau of Investigation, its former deputy directors Reynaldo Esmeralda and Ruel Lasala, the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption and high value inmate Jaybee Sebastian.
This is travesty of truth and justice. Plain and simple political persecution. SENATOR LEILA DE LIMA