Muntinlupa judge inhibits from Leila drug cases

The judge handling the drug charges filed against detained Sen. Leila de Lima and two other respondents has inhibited from the case.

In a resolution dated Jan. 4, Judge Juanita Guerrero of the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 204 said she decided to let go of the case “in order not to cast doubt on (my) integrity and impartiality.”

Guerrero said her decision would also disabuse the mind of the accused and their lawyers, who doubted her objectivity in resolving this case.

She ordered the records of the case forwarded to the Office of the Clerk of Court for re-raffle to other Muntinlupa RTC branches.

With Guerrero’s inhibition, the Jan. 24 arraignment of De Lima, her former driver-bodyguard Ronnie Dayan and former Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) officer-incharge Rafael Ragos is cancelled.

The three are facing charges for allegedly violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

In announcing her inhibition, Guerrero resolved De Lima’s motion to quash the case and hold the arraignment set in November last year.

De Lima, through her counsel Teddy Esteban Rigoroso, moved that Guerrero has no jurisdiction over the case.

She said the Sandiganbayan has exclusive jurisdiction on criminal cases filed against public officials, whose monthly pay falls under Salary Grade 27.

De Lima said the government prosecutors did not present any illegal drugs as evidence during the hearing.

She alleged that Guerrero manifested partiality and bad faith against her when the judge issued a warrant for her arrest.

De Lima was accused of conspiring with the drug lords tagged in the illegal drug activity at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) when she was justice secretary.

The money generated from the NBP drug trade was reportedly used by De Lima in her senatorial campaign.