De Lima says she'll gain freedom based on merits of her case, not for humanitarian reasons
MANILA, Philippines — Former senator Leila De Lima on Friday asserted that she would gain her freedom on the merits of her cases alone, waving off remarks by Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla that the Department of Justice would only grant her bail due to humanitarian reasons.
In a dispatch from Camp Crame, De Lima said: “I will gain my freedom on the merits, because the DOJ has no case against me from the very beginning."
De Lima’s statement comes after Remulla said on Thursday he is amenable to granting her bail “but not if her camp will base it on the merits of the drug cases filed against her.”
De Lima added that while she thanks Remulla for his concern, she cannot thank him "as the head of the agency primarily responsible for the fabrication of charges against me during the time of Duterte, and maintained, to date."
State prosecutors filed an urgent omnibus motion for reconsideration to reopen De Lima’s trial at the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court Branch 204 on Monday.
This comes after De Lima's lawyer said on Monday that the Muntinlupa court has wrapped up its hearings on the second drug charges against De Lima and will promulgate its ruling on May 12.
De Lima has already been acquitted in one case. The former senator now has two pending charges, with one now up for decision and another before Muntinlupa RTC Branch 256 with a pending petition for bail.
In the case up for decision, De Lima was alleged to have received funds from Rafael Ragos, the former corrections chief, which were supposedly linked to the illegal drug trade taking place inside the New Bilibid Prison.
However, Ragos withdrew his accusations in 2022 and denied the accuracy of his previous statement that he had received P5 million on Nov. 24, 2012, and an additional P5 million on Dec. 15, 2012, from inmates involved in illegal drug trading at the New Bilibid Prison. — Cristina Chi with reports by Kristine Joy Patag and The STAR / Neil Jayson Servallos
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