Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre and Senator Leila de Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS
Senator Leila de Lima said her legal team is now preparing charges against Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II for the “many sins” that he has supposedly committed.
“Yes my legal team is working on it. We are filing our own complaint against Secretary Aguirre with the Office of the Ombudsman. Marami na po ang kasalanan nya (He has committed many sins),” De Lima said in a television interview on Monday.
She said among the charges that she would file against Duterte would be subornation of perjury and tampering of witnesses.
The senator has repeatedly accused Aguirre of forcing witnesses to testify against her at the House of Representatives’ investigation of her alleged drug links while she was Justice Secretary.
“That is definitely an illegal act na hindi ho dapat ginagawa ng isang (which shouldn’t be done by a) Secretary of Justice,” De Lima said in a separate interview at the Senate.
“Ang Secretary of Justice po ay siyang pinaka-Attorney General, siya yung pinaka-chief legal officer ng executive department (The Secretary of Justice is the Attorney General, he is the chief legal officer of the executive department). And therefore, he is expected to act and behave judiciously.”
“Hindi po ganyan, biruin mo, yung mga ganoong statements niya, yung mga kriminal daw, yung mga drug addicts daw, mga drug users daw (It shouldn’t be the case, look at his statements that criminals, drug addicts and users) are not part of humanity. Anong klaseng mentalidad yan (What kind of mentality is that)? He is unfit to be in his position,” she added.
De Lima was referring to Aguirre’s earlier remark when he slammed the Amnesty International’s statement that the administration’s war on drugs may be considered crimes against humanity.
“In other words, how can it be when your war is only against these drug lords, drug pushers? Do you consider them humanity? No, believe me,” the Department of Justice chief said in an interview at the Senate last February 1.
READ: Aguirre says criminals not human, disputes Amnesty International report
De Lima said she would also include in the charges Aguirre’s alleged order to restore the special privileges for high-profile inmates supposedly for testifying at the House of Representatives’ probe into her alleged drug links inside the New Bilibid Prison. RAM/rga