DOJ rushes De Lima probe

SEN. LEILA de Lima INQUIRER PHOTO/Kimberly dela Cruz

The Department of Justice has formed a five-member panel to rush the preliminary investigation of Sen. Leila de Lima and some former aides in the alleged proliferation of illegal drugs in New Bilibid Prison.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the panel would consolidate the cases filed in the Office of the Ombudsman by the Victims Against Crime and Corruption and former National Bureau of Investigation Deputy Directors Reynaldo Esmeralda and Rule Lasala against De Lima for allegedly helping convicted drug lords run their illegal business from in NBP as the then secretary of justice.

He said the members of the panel were Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Ong, Assistant State Prosecutor Editha Fernandez and Senior Assistant City Prosecutors Alexander Ramos, Leila Llanes and Evangeline Viudez-Canobas.

De Lima’s alleged cohorts are former Justice Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III, former Bureau of Corrections Chief Franklin Bucayu, National Bureau of Investigation Deputy Director Rafael Ragos, inmate Jaybee Sebastian, Bucayu’s alleged bagmant Wilfredo Ely, and De Lima’s former aides Ronnie Daya, Joenel Sanchez and Jose Adrian Dera.

Aguirre said, “We want to have these cases rushed. The panel will compel the accused to answer immediately to the raps.”

Aguirre said that the DOJ had “concurrent” jurisdiction with the Ombudsman to hear cases against government officials.

He tapped several high-profile inmates to testify against De Lima. They were granted partial immunity by Congress after testifying in the House probe on the proliferation of drugs at the NBP.

De Lima has denied the charges and accused the Duterte administration of trying to destroy her reputation to deflect attention from her investigation of extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations in the government’s war on drugs.

De Lima, who initiated an inquiry into reports of summary executions in relation to the illegal drug campaign, was removed as head of the Senate justice committee by Mr. Duterte’s allies in the Senate.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern that Mr. Duterte’s statements tended to encourage extrajudicial killings.  More recently, the International Criminal Court warned that government officials could be held liable for the murders.