Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Do the same, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said in response to Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s call for him to inhibit from the criminal cases filed against her in the Department of Justice.
The senator, in her urgent motion to the DOJ panel of prosecutors handling the four cases against her, said Aguirre and the prosecutors should inhibit themselves from hearing the complaints against her in connection with the New Bilibid Prison drug trade mess.
Aguirre, however, said even before De Lima filed the motion, he had already inhibited from the case to dispel doubts on the findings of the prosecutors’ panel.
“Even before she asked for it (my inhibition), I have already inhibited from the case,” Aguirre said.
The justice chief said it was unfair that De Lima was seeking his inhibition when she herself did not do so in the hearings conducted by the Senate committee on justice where she was a member.
The Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs is conducting an investigation on the death of Albuera, Leyte, Mayor Rolando Espinosa.
Among the resource persons was the late mayor’s son, drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, who said he gave De Lima P8 million.
Aguirre said during the hearing, it was mentioned that De Lima accepted money from the younger Espinosa.
“In that hearing, they talked about accepting drug money. For delicadeza purposes, she should have inhibited herself from the hearing,” Aguirre told reporters.
“She wants me to inhibit but she will not,” he said./rga