Duterte confident of De Lima’s prosecution; claims Robredo will grant pardon if she wins

President Duterte remains confident that the Executive Department can still prosecute detained Senator Leila de Lima for drug charges but said the effort would be for nothing if Vice President Leni Robredo wins as president.

Duterte made this statement after self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa and former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos recanted their testimonies against the lady senator.

In an interview with close friend Pastor Apollo Quiboloy on SMNI, the President still believes De Lima could be prosecuted over her alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade.

"Overall, we think we can still prosper in the prosecution of De Lima," he said.

However, Duterte thinks De Lima may eventually leave her cell if Vice President Robredo wins as president in the May 9, 2022 elections.

"Kung manalo ang kandidato nilang presidente, ito lang, ito – pardon 'yan. 'Wag kang mag-alala, pardon 'yan or nabayaran (If their candidate wins the presidency, she will grant pardon. Don't fret. She will be pardoned or they paid up)," he added.

"Kaya kung mananalo 'yan si Leni Robredo, pardon 'yan si De Lima pati yung ano (Espinosa). 'Yan mamili kayo (If Leni Robredo wins, she will pardon De Lima and Espinosa. It's your choice)," he added.

"Tignan mo kung nanalo 'yan diyan, pardon 'yan, si Espinosa (If she wins, she will grant pardon to Espinosa)," he continued.

Both Espinosa and Ragos claimed they were coerced to make statements to implicate De Lima in the drug trade. Espinosa initially claimed to have paid De Lima in drug money through her bodyguard Ronnie

Dayan while Ragos claimed he delivered cash on two occasions to De Lima’s home as instructed by a convict in 2012.

This week, Ragos said former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre threatened him to make "fiction, false and fabricated" statements against De Lima.

In his interview with Quiboloy, President Duterte suspected Ragos was bribed to recant his allegations. He also refused to believe that Aguirre threatened Ragos to make false accusations against De Lima.

"Si Ragos ganoon din, pera 'yan. Perapera 'yan. Nag-retire na 'yan. Ang retirement siguro mag-abot lang ng mga range of about ₱15 million to 18 [million]. Hindi na maglampas diyan (It's about the money for Ragos. He is already retired and probably received around ₱15 million to ₱18 million, no more than that)," the President said.

"Pag 'yan lang nakuha mo, tapos nabuhay ka hanggang the age of 90, yung ₱15 million na 'yan, in three to four years, wala na yan, kulangin talaga. Pagdating mo ng 85, magkasakit ka, wala ka nang pangmedisina, tapos na 'yan (If that's all you got and you lived up to 90 years old, that ₱15 million will be gone in three to four years. When you reach 85 years old and get sick, you have no money for medicine, you're finished)," he added.

Duterte claims De Lima got the money to pay Ragos from drug lords.

"Saan kunin ni De Lima yung pera? Drug lords. Siya yung napreso dahil . . . tinutulungan na rin siya ngayon, sigurado (Where would De Lima get the money? From the drug lords. She's in jail because of them so I'm sure they're helping her now)," he said.

"Walang tao na magpunta sa korte tapos mag-recant ka ng ganoon after a few years. Pera-pera 'yan (No person would go to court just to recant their statement after a few years. It's all about the money)," he added.