Sen. Leila De Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
Senator Leila de Lima is now leaving her faith in courts and in the country’s judicial system after criminal charges were filed against her for stopping her former aide from attending a House of Representatives investigation.
De Lima confirmed that her office had already received a copy of a Resolution of the National Prosecution Service (NPS) finding probable cause to charge her for violation of Article 150 of the Revised Penal Code (Disobedience to Summons issued by the National Assembly, its committees or subcommittees, etc.) for advising Ronnie Dayan, her former driver and partner, not to attend the hearing of the House committee on justice.
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“Contrary to news reports, it is not for Obstruction of Justice under Presidential Decree No. 1829. I am not aware if there is such a separate charge, but, in any case, there would be no basis for it because the House inquiry is not a criminal proceeding that would bring the case within the ambit of PD 1829,” she said in a statement on Wednesday.
But since the NPS did not notify or serve her a copy of the complaint, the senator said, she was in a “difficult and lamentable position of standing publicly accused without even knowing what the allegations against me are.”
“This rush to crucify me publicly through inaccurate press releases and statements, even before allowing me the chance to learn about the charges against me and to prepare my defense, speaks loudly and clearly of the real motivation behind the filing of this case,” De Lima said.
Pending receipt of the formal notice by the proper court, the senator said her legal team was reviewing all options available to her “but with the disadvantage of not really knowing what the allegations and evidence against me are.”
“Nevertheless, we will act with dispatch to answer the charge that this administration has desperately hurled against me in order to save the House leadership from embarrassment for failing to link me to the drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison, and for shaming itself by engaging in rumor-mongering, slut-shaming and voyeurism,” she said.
“In any case, I am putting my faith in our courts and in our judicial system to serve as our independent and fearless protectors against tyranny,” De Lima added.
The charges were filed against her at a court in Quezon City by the House leadership led by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. RAM