De Lima to Espinosa: May God forgive you for your lies
May God forgive you for all your sins and lies.
This was Senator Leila de Lima’s message to her accuser, suspected drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, when they faced each other in the Senate on Wednesday.
Espinosa, in his testimony before the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, claimed to have given De Lima P8 million through her former driver and bodyguard, Ronnie Dayan, during the last campaign period.
“I can’t talk to him directly but may I just say this. May God forgive you for all your sins and may God forgive you for all your lies about me. And I forgive you,” De Lima said.
The senator said she would no longer confront or question Espinosa, saying it would be “pointless, useless, futile” to do so “given a very nice script” at least in so far as his testimony against her is concerned.
READ: Dayan admits delivering Kerwin’s money to De Lima
But De Lima said she “categorically, firmly and absolutely” denies knowing Espinosa.
“I don’t remember any instance or occasion of having met him. I categorically, firmly and absolutely deny having received any money, any cash from Mr. Kerwin Espinosa either directly or indirectly thru anyone else in any occasion at any time whether that money is supposedly for either protection or fund raising for campaign expenses,” she said.
She also described the allegation against her as a “total fabrication.”
“To me that portion of his testimony is under gunpoint, under duress so it’s pointless for me to conduct or to question me on those points,” said the senator.
“And I also feel that it would not be appropriate for me to do so because there would be questions on my objectivity, on my interest because I’m being implicated expressly as having received that money kaya hindi po ako magtatanong sa kanya,” De Lima added. CDG
READ: De Lima to face accuser Kerwin Espinosa in Senate probe
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