De Lima firm on snubbing House probe into NBP drug trade

Senator Leila de Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES

SENATOR Leila de Lima reiterated on Sunday her refusal to appear at what she described as “sham” inquiry of the House of Representative allegedly meant to destroy her “upon orders of the President.”

“With or without an invitation, I will NOT attend that hearing. I will not even send any representative, lawyer or even an observer. I’m not at all recognizing that proceedings,” De Lima said in a statement late Sunday night.

“It is a sham inquiry, with no objective other than to demolish or destroy me, upon orders of the President,” she added.

The House of Representatives is set to investigate this week the alleged proliferation of illegal drugs at the New Bilibid Prison when de Lima was still the Justice Secretary. She was only elected senator last May 9.

Aside from high-inmates, a top ranking government official would reportedly testify in the probe against de Lima.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II was quoted as saying that the official would detail how he had supposedly delivered P5 million worth of drug money to de Lima’s house in Paranaque City when she was still Justice Secretary.

READ: Gov’t exec to link de Lima to drug money in House probe

But de Lima, who is now leading the Senate probe on alleged rise of extrajudicial killings in the country, had repeatedly denied her involvement in the illegal drug trade.

READ: De Lima won’t attend House probe on drugs in Bilibid