Illustrated by Dovie
After being in detention for six years, two of the three drug-related charges against Leila de Lima were acquitted due to lack of evidence. Despite the long and slow process of de Lima’s case, she nevertheless described this recent acquittal as the beginning of her vindication.
The long overdue decision of the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC) branch 204 regarding the criminal charges against de Lima was made last May 12. It is the second out of the two cases against the former senator that have been acquitted as the first one was also dropped by the court last 2021.
De Lima has been a known critic of former president Rodrigo Duterte as she has led investigations of the extrajudicial killings under his rule. In the early 2000s, back when she was still the chair of the Commission on Human Rights, she already investigated the presence of death squads in Davao City when Duterte was still the city's mayor. However, as we remember, last 2016, an investigation against de Lima regarding her alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade within New Bilibid Prison started when she was still the justice secretary. The money was said to be used by de Lima to finance her senatorial campaign. In 2017, she was detained at the headquarters of the Philippine National Police.
Nonetheless, the said accusations have resurfaced as the two key witnesses retracted their claims last 2022. Both Kerwin Espinosa and the prosecution's key witness, former Bureau of Corrections acting chief Rafael Ragos, have withdrawn their statements against de Lima. Also, both of them claimed that they were coerced to lie to discredit the former senator.
The witnesses' retraction of their accusations caused the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 204 to drop the charges filed against de Lima for the second case. This prompted the call of different individuals, especially those from the opposition where she came from, for the court to free Leila de Lima because the evidence and accusations against her cannot be proven. De Lima has denied all of these allegations against her since 2017, but it had taken five years for her first case to be acquitted and another year for the second one.
For de Lima and her supporters, going through the Philippine justice system seems to be a waiting game for anyone, whether guilty or innocent. The former senator’s supporters have been asking what the court has been waiting for to give their decision for de Lima’s last remaining case and for how long de Lima has to stay in jail before she is finally declared innocent. The prosecutor has already appealed for a motion for reconsideration, asking the court to reassess its decision.
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