MANILA, Philippines — Detained former Senator Leila de Lima on Friday expressed confidence that she will gain her freedom due to the merits of her case alone.
De Lima made the reaction to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla’s statement that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will only agree to a bail grant to her cases based on humanitarian grounds and not on its merits.
“I will gain my freedom on the merits because the DOJ has no case against me from the very beginning,” De Lima said in a Twitter post.
De Lima, however, thanked Remulla for his concern especially when she was taken hostage at the Camp Crame Custodial Center of the Philippine National Police in Quezon City last October 2022.
“I thank Sec. Remulla for his concern about my ordeal, especially after I was taken hostage and almost killed in my detention cell.
“But I cannot thank him as the head of the agency that is primarily responsible for the fabrication of the charges against me during the time of Duterte, and maintained, to date.
“Justice and freedom for me are long overdue,” she added.
One of the two remaining drug cases filed against De Lima is up for decision in May, her lawyer said Monday.
READ: De Lima’s camp opposes prosecution’s request to re-open drug case