De Lima co-accused want judge to inhibit from case

MANILA, Philippines — The co-accused of detained former senator Leila de Lima in the last remaining drug charge against her have asked the judge to inhibit himself from the case.

The legal teams of De Lima’s former aides Ronnie Dayan and Joenel Sanchez and former Bureau of Corrections chief Franklin Bucayu filed the motions for inhibition of Judge Romeo Buenaventura before the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 256. 

Also yesterday, De Lima’s camp filed a motion asking Buenaventura to reconsider his decision turning down her petition for bail. 

According to the motion filed by Dayan’s team, the judge is the brother of lawyer Emmanuel Buenaventura, supposedly the former counsel of the late congressman Reynalo Umali, erstwhile House justice committee chairman.

The judge earlier dismissed De Lima’s application for bail.

Dayan said he found out about the Buenaventuras through a Facebook post of a certain Berteni Causing on June 8.

In his motion, Dayan said he had testified before Muntinlupa RTC Branch 204 and stated that he “was coerced” by Umali, assisted by lawyer Emmanuel Buenaventura, into executing a sworn affidavit dated Nov. 24, 2016.

The affidavit, according to Dayan, “was eventually used as his testimony on a hearing before the House committee on justice implicating his co-accused Leila de Lima in the illegal drug trading inside the New Bilibid Prison.”

Dayan, who has recanted his testimony against De Lima, accused the judge of committing gross negligence, if not gross misconduct, by not declaring his relationship to Umali’s former lawyer. 

Bucayu said he is praying for the case to be assigned to another branch of the Muntinlupa RTC.