De Lima files criminal, admin raps vs. Aguirre

Detained Senator Leila de Lima on Thursday filed criminal and administrative complaints against Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II over alleged gross negligence and incompetence in his duty.

In a 27-page complaint filed with the Office of the Ombudsman, De Lima charged Aguirre with negligence in prosecution and toleration of criminal offenses, grave coercion, use of falsified documents, offering false testimony, usurpation of legislative powers, and graft.

Aguirre is also facing administrative complaints of dishonesty, gross neglect of duty, grave misconduct, oppression, inefficiency and incompetence in the performance of official duties, and conduct grossly prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

The case stemmed from Aguirre's alleged failure to investigate and prosecute more than 7,000 cases of alleged extrajudicial killings in the government's war on drugs.

De Lima claimed that she has reliable information that Aguirre ordered the National Bureau of Investigation and the National Prosecution Service (NPS) to keep their hands off cases involving policemen performing anti-drug operations.

"[Aguirre] himself has issued an illegal directive to the NPS that no public prosecutor is allowed to file a case against any law enforcement official enforcing the administration’s 'war on drugs,' including cases of possible summary executions of drug suspects during PNP anti-drug operations," De Lima said in her complaint.

"Instead of carrying out his mandate to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of EJKs in the country, respondent says that he does not consider EJK victims to be humans," she added.

De Lima, a former Justice secretary who is detained over illegal drug charges, also accused Aguirre of fabricating evidence for indictment.

The lawmaker mentioned Aguirre's public statements where he claimed to have proof of De Lima'd alleged links to drug syndicates in the New Bilibid Prison and of her receiving drug money for high-profile inmates.

"On numerous occasions before the public and members of the media, respondent made false and highly slanderous criminal imputations against complainant," the complaint read.

She added Aguirre "used the whole DOJ machinery to orchestrate and execute" her prosecution through the testimony of the NBP inmates who were invited during a probe launched by the House of Representatives last year.

Meanwhile, De Lima also said Aguirre should be held liable for not immediately prosecuting personalities involved in the Bureau of Immigration bribery scandal and for recklessly spreading unverified information in the media.

Among the alleged conspiracies spread by Aguirre include his claims that several opposition lawmakers conspired the Marawi City conflict, the involvement of a local Korean mafia in the killing of businessman Jee Ick Joo, and his accusation that De Lima was responsible for the Resorts World Manila attack.

Youth groups have also filed a similar complaint against Aguirre with the Ombudsman for allegedly spreading fake information. 

De Lima called for the dismissal of Aguirre as DOJ chief and the filing of appropriate charges against him before the Sandiganbayan. —KBK, GMA News