Department of Justice building. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday said prosecution star witness Rafael Ragos ’ reversal of his testimonies against Senator Leila de Lima cannot “destroy the strength of evidence” of the government.
“The testimonies of the witnesses presented by the prosecution are enough to pin and prove the charges against accused Senator Leila de Lima and Ronnie Dayan,” the DOJ said in a statement released hours after reports came out that Ragos was withdrawing his accusations against the detained senator, who is a fierce critic of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Ragos issued an affidavit taking back all his allegations that de Lima was involved in the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison.
In his previous testimonies before a Senate probe and the Muntinlupa City court, Ragos claimed that on November 24 and December 15, 2012, he received a total of P10-million from high-profile inmates involved in the drug trade and supposedly personally handed the monies to Dayan on two separate occasions.
But in his affidavit notarized in Pasig City on April 30, 2022, Ragos asserted that all his earlier statements against the senator were not true and that he was “coerced” into making those prior affidavits.
READ: Another witness retracts accusations vs De Lima, says he was ‘coerced’
Ragos, a former deputy intelligence director at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) who concurrently served as officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) when de Lima was justice secretary, pointed to former DOJ chief Vitaliano Aguirre II as the person who “interrogated and coerced” him to “admit something that did not happen” during their several meetings.
“I couldn’t do anything back then,” Ragos said. “If the secretary of justice himself is coercing you, what can you do? He can do more, more than I can do anything.”
INQUIRER.net has reached out to Aguirre regarding Ragos’ allegations. But this reporter has yet to receive his response as of posting time.
But the DOJ expressed doubts about Ragos’ motive to retract his testimonies against de Lima, noting that it came more than five years after he testified before the Senate and in court for three days.
“In all of the foregoing instances, there was no mention of coercion or intimidation. Thus, the glaring delay on the part of Ragos in recanting his previous statements is indeed questionable and casts doubt on its truthfulness. His motive as well is highly suspicious,” the DOJ said.
“It is left to the appreciation of the court to consider his affidavit of recantation if it can completely destroy his previous affidavits and testimonies,” it added.
Ragos was the prosecution’s fifth witness in the second case against de Lima before the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 204. He has already finished giving his testimony.
Ragos is not a witness against de Lima in the third case before the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 256.
A few days before Ragos’ recantation, self-confessed drug dealer Kerwin Espinosa also backtracked on his allegations against de Lima.