Leila questions court jurisdiction

MANILA, Philippines - As the likelihood of her arrest looms, Sen. Leila de Lima has filed motions with the Muntinlupa regional trial court contesting its jurisdiction over the three drug charges against her.

Her camp filed the motions to have the cases transferred to the Office of the Ombudsman yesterday right after the cases were raffled off to judges. With the filing of the motions, the courts may have to hold off issuing warrants for her arrest.

The senator told reporters the drug trade charges should have been filed with the ombudsman’s office as she is a public official.

She described the filing of charges before the RTC as procedurally wrong and violation of jurisprudence.

“So the courts must resolve this (question of jurisdiction) first. I’m hoping the judge will thoroughly study the grounds, the issues raised by my lawyers,” De Lima said.

“In the meantime, they must not issue warrants of arrest, in other words, suspend any plan to issue warrant of arrest,” she stressed.

She said the motions were prepared over the weekend in anticipation of the raffling of her three drug cases.

The three charges were raffled off to judges Juanita Guerrero, Amelia Fabros-Corpuz and Patria Manalastas-de Leon.

De Lima said the DOJ fabricated the cases in such a way that she would be charged with non-bailable offenses.

Senators, led by Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, held a caucus on De Lima’s case. De Lima did not attend the meeting.

Pimentel said the Senate should respect the independence of the judiciary. “We should not even predict or anticipate and publicly state what the court should do. And then of course, theoretically speaking, if a member of the Senate is arrested, we are all concerned about the safety of that person,” Pimentel said.

With the filing of drug charges, Vice President Leni Robredo called on the administration to accord De Lima due process.

“If there are accusations against her, I hope she will be given due process,” Robredo said in an interview in Cagayan de Oro City. Robredo and De Lima belong to the once ruling Liberal Party.

The Department of Justice filed drug charges against De Lima, who previously headed the agency. – With Helen Flores