Leila de Lima acquitted in 2nd drug case

MANILA, Philippines — Leila de Lima secured her second victory on Friday as Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court Branch 204 acquitted the former senator of involvement in the illegal drug trade.

Judge Joseph Abraham Alcantara did not convict de Lima and her former aide Ronnie Dayan of conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) while she was Justice Secretary.

De Lima has now won two of three drug cases filed against her during the administration of her nemesis, former president Rodrigo Duterte. She has been in detention since February 2017 and had repeatedly denied the drug charges which she branded as fictional.

READ: ‘Stand by me and for me,’ Leila de Lima says as court decision looms

READ: Muntinlupa City court wraps up case vs Leila de Lima; decision set on May 12

Based on court records, de Lima and Dayan were accused of conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading as the former justice chief allegedly received a total of P10 million from former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos to supposedly fund her 2016 senatorial bid. The money purportedly came from high-profile NBP inmates.

Ragos was initially named as a co-accused of de Lima in this drug case but he was later declared a witness for the government against the former senator. However, in 2022, Ragos disowned his testimony, saying he was only coerced to pin de Lima for the supposed wrongdoing.

READ: Another witness retracts accusations vs De Lima, says he was ‘coerced’

In one of the hearings last year, Ragos personally apologized to de Lima, saying, “I am really sorry. Natakot talaga ako [I got really scared].”

READ: Recanting witness Ragos says ‘really sorry’ to de Lima: ‘I got scared’

De Lima scored her first victory in 2021 as one of the three drug cases filed against her was dismissed by the Muntinlupa City RTC Branch 205, which granted her demurrer to evidence that has the effect of a case dismissal. A demurrer is filed on the ground that the evidence presented by the prosecutors is insufficient for a criminal conviction.

The remaining drug case against de Lima is pending before Muntinlupa RTC Branch 256. Her co-accused in this case include Dayan, former BuCor Director Franklin Jesus Bucayu and his former staff Wilfredo Elli, as well as de Lima’s ex-aide Joenel Sanchez and nephew Jose Adrian Dera.

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