De Lima camp to contest latest arrest warrant

Senator Leila De Lima attends the hearing on her disobedience case at trial court Branch 34 in Quezon City. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES

Senator Leila de Lima’s camp will contest the latest arrest warrant a Muntinlupa court issued for her alleged illegal drugs involvement, saying this case was the “weakest among the three trumped-up charges” against her.

“The latest issuance of a warrant of arrest against me by the Regional Trial Court of Muntinlupa, Branch 205 will of course be contested by my lawyers,” De Lima said in a statement on Sunday.

De Lima is detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP)’s Custodial Center after Muntinlupa RTC Branch 204 Executive Judge Juanita Guerrero ordered her arrest in February.

De Lima is facing a case for violation of Section 5 (sale) in relation to Section 3 (trading), Section 26 (b) and Section 28 or the criminal liability of government officials and employees of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

On June 21, Judge Amelia Fabros-Corpuz of Branch 205 issued another arrest warrant against De Lima. The case is non-bailable.

“A motion for reconsideration will be filed on the ground that there is no probable cause and the prosecution’s case is extremely weak, the weakest among the three trumped-up drug charges, especially after the person the government has identified as my link to the commission of the offense charged, my co-accused in this particular case, already executed a statement denying my involvement,” she said.

De Lima was referring to Jose Adrian de Vera, whom her accusers say was her niece and close-in security detail who acted as her bagman, and former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director Franklin Bucayu.

The former justice secretary denied any connection with De Vera.

“My accusers say that Mr. Jose Adrian Dera alias Jad Dera (sic) is a nephew and an aide of mine. I do not know him at all. Dera himself already denied any relationship or connection to me whatsoever,” she said.

“I continue to have faith in the judiciary. In the process of the prosecution of my cases, I am optimistic that the handling judges will more and more realize the unreliability of the witnesses against me, as well as the incredibility of their stories. In the end, all of these so-called witnesses will be proven to have been lying all along, or have simply been threatened to falsely testify against me,” she said.

De Lima said she will continue to exhaust legal remedies to fight what she called her “illegal arrest and detention.”

“The truth will still come out in the end… Muli, inosente po ako sa lahat ng mga paratang nila sa akin (Once again, I’m innocent of the claims they have against me),” she added. JE/rga