Police arrest Leila’s ex-driver Ronnie Dayan
Kerwin Espinosa claims he gave Senator de Lima P8M — Pacquiao
Ronnie Dayan has an outstanding arrest warrant for contempt issued by the House of Representative due to his failure to show up in the investigation on the illegal drug trade inside the NBP Senator defends her former driver/bodyguard, expressing doubts whether the name of Ronnie Dayan was mentioned by Kerwin’s father
RONNIE Dayan, the former security detail of Sen. Leila de Lima, was arrested in Sitio Turo, Barangay San Felipe in San Juan, La Union yesterday.
La Union Provincial Police Director Leo Francisco said Dayan was arrested around 11:30 a.m. by elements of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) La Union and Pangasinan police.
Francisco said Dayan was brought to La Union Provincial Police Office.
Outstanding arrest warrant
Dayan has an outstanding arrest warrant for contempt issued by the House of Representatives due to his failure to show up in the investigation on the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
Dayan and Joenel Sanchez, another security aide of de Lima, were accused of collecting monthly payola from drug lords inside the NBP allegedly for de Lima’s senatorial bid.
In an interview with Winnie Monsod on “Bawal ang Pasaway kay Mareng Winnie” last Nov. 14, the senator admitted her past romantic affair with Dayan, saying she fell for him due to the “frailties of a woman.”
The Department of Justice issued an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order on Oct. 7 against de Lima and other individuals, including Dayan, who are being probed for their alleged involvement in the proliferation of illegal drugs inside the penitentiary.
In a related development, Sen. Manny Pacquiao revealed yesterday that suspected drug lord Kerwin Espinosa told him that the latter gave a total of P8 million to then-justice secretary and now Senator de Lima.
“He (Espinosa) mentioned that P8 million in total has been given to de Lima,” Pacquiao said in an interview with cable ANC television.
Pacquiao said he talked with Kerwin for an hour after the son of slain Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa was brought back to the country from Abu Dhabi last week.
Instruction
He said Espinosa told him that the latter was asked by de Lima’s bodyguard and driver Dayan to go to Baguio City where Espinosa gave the money to de Lima.
Contrary to whistleblower Sandra Cam’s claim that Espinosa will name more than one senator, Pacquiao said Espinosa mentioned only de Lima as the senator in the drug list that Espinosa will reveal at today’s Senate probe on the killing of mayor Espinosa.
When asked for comment, de Lima de- nied that she met Espinosa, saying, “I have not received a single centavo from those so-called drug lords.”
“It’s not true. I did not meet him. First, I don’t know him. So why would I meet him and talk to him to ask for money that in the first place, I don’t know him,” de Lima said.
Dayan defended
De Lima also defended Dayan, expressing doubts whether the name of her former bodyguard and driver was mentioned by Kerwin’s father.
“Oh my goodness, gracious. So they are linking Ronnie again. I have not seen it, but you can look at the supposed affidavit of mayor Espinosa, did they mention Ronnie Dayan before? It’s only now that they link his name,” de Lima said.
She said Dayan is being linked again “because they want to pin me down.”
De Lima earlier admitted that she had an affair with Dayan, an admission that is expected to boost a disbarment case filed against her by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption.