DETAINED former senator Leila de Lima has lauded the Office of the Ombudsman for “recognizing the truth” following the dismissal of bribery charges against her and her former driver/bodyguard Ronnie Dayan.
De Lima maintained that the charges in relation to the claims of self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa and alleged former driver/bodyguard Marcelo Adorco that she received bribe money for the protection of their illegal drugs operations “are all based on lies and fabrications” in the orders of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
In its order, the Office of the Ombudsman said it has found inconsistencies on the statement of Espinosa and Adorco in 2016 which was used by its Special Team of Investigators as evidence against De Lima for the filing of direct and indirect bribery charges.
The two earlier claimed that De Lima accepted P8-million bribe money from Espinosa.
The Ombudsman, however, said that their testimonies particularly on how the money was given to De Lima did not corroborate, as one said the former senator personally accepted the money at one time, while the other said it was given through Dayan in several tranches.
In April, Espinosa recanted his claims against De Lima, saying he was just forced to issue such due to his threats against his and his family’s life.
Adorco also retracted all his allegations against De Lima over the same reason.
“Said subsequent recantations, while no longer factored in the OMB Reso as recently released, all the more fortified its finding of no probable cause. In fact, it's more than lack of probable cause. It's an utterly baseless charge. Factually inexistent,” said De Lima.
“The recantations are just the final nail in the coffin of the whole Kerwin fairy tale that was woven by the Duterte administration to add to the Bilibid drug cases they also manufactured against me,” she added.
De Lima has been detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame for allegedly dipping her hands in illegal drugs transactions while serving as the Justice Secretary from 2010 to 2015.
She was accused of providing protection to convicted drug lords who were operating their illegal business while inside the New Bilibid Prison.
This came after she launched in July 2016 a probe into the alleged extrajudicial killings amid the Duterte administration’s crackdown on illegal drugs.
One of the three charges against De Lima had already been dismissed by the Muntinlupa court.
Former Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) officer-in-charge and deputy director for intelligence of the National Bureau of Investigation Rafael Marcos Ragos, one of De Lima’s co-accused in one of her drug charges, also admitted making up lies to link former justice secretary to the illegal drugs trade.
In September 2016, Ragos executed an affidavit saying that he, together with former intelligence agent Jovencio Ablen Jr., delivered two P5 million to De Lima’s residence in November and December 2012.
He said the money came from convicted drug personalities including Peter Co.
Ragos said he was ordered by then justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre to manufacture false information against De Lima.
De Lima urged Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to investigate the matter.
“DOJ Sec. Remulla should start investigating if indeed the DOJ evidence have truthful basis or were manufactured, given the retractions of witnesses and the illegal use of criminal convicts as state witnesses by the Panel of Prosecutors,” she said.
“Rather than mindless prosecution, the mission of the DOJ is to protect the innocent from the strong arm of the state when it is used for political ends. The DOJ should not go on knowingly prosecuting an innocent person,” she added.
Resolutions were filed in the Senate and the House of Representatives for the conduct of a probe for the withdrawal of charges against De Lima and her release from detention. (SunStar Philippines)