De Lima to seek bail anew as Ragos affirms recantation
MANILA — Former Sen. Leila de Lima’s legal team is looking to move for her provisional liberty after prosecution star witness Rafael Ragos ended Friday his testimony where he reiterated that he was coerced by to implicate her in the illegal drug trade.
De Lima’s legal counsel Boni Tacardon told reporters that they will file a supplemental motion for bail as they believe that the prosecution no longer has evidence against her following the recantation of Ragos, former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge.
Tacardon said that should the the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 204 — which is handling one of the two remaining drug cases of the former senator — recognize Ragos’reversal, they will also move for the dismissal of the case against De Lima.
“If we look at the denial of Sen. Leila de Lima’s application for bail for this case, the former judge said there is evidence against her and the evidence that was referred to was the testimony of Deputy Director Ragos,” Tacardon said in Filipino.
He continued: “Now that this has been recanted, and if the court would believe this, the belief of the defense team is that there is no more evidence [against her.]”
In an earlier field motion, De Lima noted that when the court junked her Demurrer to Evidence dated Feb. 7, 2021, where she sought dismissal on the case midway trial, the court acknowledged that the deliveries and Ragos’ testimony as the sole basis of the charge.
In the cited court order, Presiding Judge Liezel Aquiatan noted that De Lima and Dayan noted that Ragos and his deputy Jovencio Ablen described her house where the former met Dayan and handed the bag filled with money. Ablen “was with Ragos at the time of the deliveries and he corroborated Ragos’ testimony in his own perspective.
Coercion
As Ragos wrapped up his testimony before the court, Tacardon said the former BuCor OIC reaffirmed that he only testified against De Lima due to “coercion” and “pressure” from former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II.
Tacardon added that Ragos also said that former National Bureau of Investigation director Dante Gierran, Public Attorney’s Office chief Persida Acosta, and other PAO lawyers like Demiteer Huerta and Riger Salvador also pressured him.
Philstar.com has reached out to Gierran and Acosta for comment. Aguirre has denied that he pressured Ragos to testify against De Lima. —