The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday filed three drug-related charges against Senator Leila de Lima.
The cases were filed at Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court.
The charges were for violation of Republic Act (RA) No. 9165 or Dangerous Drugs Act, Section 5, penalizing the “sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation” of illegal drugs. The violator may face 12 years life imprisonment and fines of P500,000 up to P10,000,000.
Also charged with De Lima were former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Franklin Bucayu, his alleged bagman Wilfredo Elli, high profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian, De Lima’s former driver-bodyguard Ronnie Dayan, her ex-aide Joenel Sanchez, and her nephew who also worked as her security aide, Jose Adrian Dera.
In a statement, De Lima dismissed the fresh charges as “travesty of truth and justice. Plain and simple political persecution.” She vowed to fight them.
READ: De Lima vows to fight DOJ drug charges
De Lima, a vocal critic of President Rodrigo Duterte, has been tagged as a narcopolitician who allowed the proliferation of drugs in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in exchange for campaign funds for her senatorial run in 2016.
READ: Duterte: De Lima ‘was corrupting everybody’ during DOJ stint
The cases came following the preliminary investigation conducted last December by a DOJ panel on complaints promoted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, former NBI deputy directors former NBI deputy directors Reynaldo Esmeralda and Ruel Lasala and NBP high profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian. IDL/rga
WATCH: Sen. @AttyLeila will finally get a dose of her own medicine–Panelo via @dzIQ990 @chonayu1 pic.twitter.com/F2GzkAd2t8
— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) February 17, 2017
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