CEBUANO businessman Peter Lim asked the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday, June 7, to stop the Department of Justice (DOJ) from reinvestigating the drug charges filed against him and several others.
In his petition filed Thursday, Lim said the DOJ gravely abused its discretion when it issued a department order that set aside its panel of prosecutors' first decision that dismissed the drug charges solely based on "nationwide uproar" and "public outrage."
The said order, issued on March 19 and signed by then DOJ secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, set aside the December 20, 2017 decision of the DOJ that dismissed the drug charges filed against Lim and several others for lack of evidence.
This has prompted a reinvestigation on the complaints against Lim, self confessed drug lor Kerwin Espinosa, Manuel Adorco, and Peter Co, among other respondents.
Lim challenged the decision through a motion for reconsideration but the DOJ junked his appeal in a decision dated April 27.
On Thursday, Lim argued in his petition that the DOJ's decision to revisit the drug charges lodged against him violated his rights to life, liberty and due process of law and speedy disposition of his case.
He said "public outrage" could never be considered evidence.
"'Nationwide uproar' and 'public outrage' are not evidence and can never be considered legal basis to vacate a resolution that was rendered based on the evidence on record and the applicable rules and jurisprudence," the petition reads.
"There is no doubt that the assailed order was issued to persecute the petitioner. In fact, prior to the issuance of the assailed order, the President threatened then Secretary Aguirre 'kapag nawala 'yan si Lim at Espinosa siya ang ipapalit ko...'" he said.
Lim also noted in his petition that Aguirre, in a press conference on May 20, told the media that President Rodrigo Duterte told him that although there are rules, the DOJ should look at the pulse of the people.
"The President told me, Vit, while the rules are there, you must, your department has also to feel the pulse of the people, in these kinds of cases -- the big ones," Aguirre said as stated in Lim's petition.
Lim has been accused of conspiring to trade illegal drugs with the Espinosa group allegedly led by Kerwin in the Visayas region.
His alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade was divulged by no less than Duterte. (SunStar Philippines)