De Lima hearing for ‘disobedience’ case suspended

Senator Leila de Lima. INQUIRER FILE

The hearing set this afternoon for detained Sen. Leila de Lima at a Quezon City court was canceled after her legal counsel filed a motion of reconsideration last week.

De Lima is facing charges before the Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 34 for allegedly violating Article 150 of the Revised Penal Code, or “disobedience to summons.”

Lawyer Fhillip Sawali, her spokesperson and chief of staff, said the motion insisted that there was no probable cause to the case, which stemmed from the complaint of House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Majority Floor Leader Rodolfo Fariñas and Justice Panel Chair Reynaldo Umali.

The congressional leaders said De Lima urged her bodyguard Ronnie Dayan to go into hiding instead of appearing at the House inquiry on the alleged drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison.

The lawmaker’s camp also questioned the jurisdiction of the QC court over the case.

Sawali said the court has given the prosecutors from the Department of Justice 10 to 15 days from April 21 to comment on the motion.

De Lima, who is detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame for separate drug charges, refused to enter a plea during her arraignment in March. CBB