De Lima attends court hearing for first time since start of pandemic

For the first time since COVID-19 restrictions were imposed last year, Senator Leila De Lima on Tuesday attended the hearing for one of her drug-related cases in the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 256.

De Lima's office shared photos of the senator attending the hearing this morning, wearing a face mask, face shield, and personal protective equipment.

De Lima's appearance in the hearing came after the court dismissed the Prosecution's urgent motion for reconsideration appealing the earlier court decision allowing the senator to personally attend in-court hearings.

The drug-related charges against De Lima stemmed from allegations that she allowed the illegal drug trade to proliferate inside the New Bilibid Prison during her term as justice secretary supposedly in exchange for funds for her senatorial bid in 2016.

She has repeatedly denied these claims.

During Tuesday's hearing, the prosecution presented its witness, kidnapping-for-ransom convict Noel Martinez, for cross-examination.

Lawyer Rolly Peoro, counsel for De Lima, said in an interview after the hearing that the cross examination on Martinez turned out favorable for their case.

"Natuwa kami sa mga ilang pagtatanggi at pag-aamin ni Noel Martinez. Sinabi niya na una, wala siyang personal knowledge sa mga drug transactions. Wala rin daw silang personal involvement sa kahit anong drug transaction," Peoro said.

"Nilinaw niya na kahit kaninong akusado—mula kay Senator De Lima, kay General Bucayu, kay Joenel Sanchez, kay Ronnie Dayan—wala siyang mga personal na transaction. Wala silang personal transaction, lalo na sa droga," he added.

Peoro said the prosecution presented Martinez in court in an attempt to pursue the "conspiracy" that there was an illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison.

"Pero kung ito, si Noel Martinez mismo ang nagsabi na wala siyang kinalaman, wala siyang mga personal na transaksyon sa droga, panay referral lang daw dahil lahat daw ng mga nangyari na drug transaction galing sa labas, o nasa labas ng area, wala siyang kinalaman," he said.

"Para sa amin ho, hihina yung claim ng prosecution na may alam siya sa drug trading," he added.

De Lima, through her lawyers, last month asked the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court to dismiss her drug-related case pending before the tribunal, claiming that prosecutors failed to show any proof of the crime they accuse her of committing.

She will be marking her fourth year in detention on February 24. —LDF, GMA News