MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Leila de Lima urged Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra to review cases the department filed against her after key witness Rafael Ragos accused the prosecution panel of presenting false and fabricated testimonies against her.
“In light of this statement of Ragos, there is a need for the DOJ to review the drug cases it filed against me to determine if indeed these were prosecuted by the Panel of Prosecutors even after being told by Ragos that his testimony and all his allegations against me ‘are all lies,’” De Lima said in a two-page letter dated May 6.
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“As Duterte’s term comes to an end, the DOJ can no longer afford to continue being blind to these facts that clearly indicate a pattern of witness coercion and bribery in order to fabricate drug cases against me and send me to jail,” she added.
The senator said the review should also cover the other drug case pending against her, because she claimed that the same set of prosecutors are handling the same case against them, they could have done the same.
In an affidavit dated April 30, Ragos said he told the prosecution panel that “all allegations against Senator De Lima never happened.” The former Bureau of Corrections chief also accused former Justice Secretary Vitalliano Aguirre II of coercing him, which the latter denied.
Ragos also said Aguirre and the public prosecutors agreed to drop him as accused in the case if he delivers the false testimonies and sign false affidavits against De Lima.
“If upon review, it is determined that Ragos’ statements are true, then all the cases against me should be immediately withdrawn by the DOJ in order to prevent a further miscarriage of justice where, even after these revelations indicating prosecutorial misconduct amounting to the criminal offense of subornation of perjury, the DOJ will continue prosecuting said cases,” De Lima said.
She also urged the justice department to look into the following:
- Orchestration of Aguirre of trial by publicity at the Congress
- Preemptive statements of President Rodrigo Duterte that she is guilty
- Favorable treatment to New Bilibid Prison inmates who, while admitted to taking part in the drug trade, were not included as co-accused in the cases
- Coercion of Bilibid inmates against her
- Recantation of Kerwin Espinosa’s allegations against her
De Lima has been detained since February 2017 in charges she have long been insisting are fabricated, but which the Palace has repeatedly denied. She has already been acquitted in one case, and has two remaining cases before the Muntinlupa courts.