De Lima urges Muntinlupa court to reconsider decision keeping second drug case

Detained Senator Leila De Lima has asked a Muntinlupa City court to reconsider its decision denying her plea to dismiss her drug case involving her former driver and bodyguard Ronnie Dayan.

De Lima’s motion for reconsideration insisted that she did not receive P10 million in proceeds from the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison during her term as justice secretary.

It was former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos who alleged that he delivered, along with aide Jovencio Ablen Jr., the money to De Lima's house in Parañaque City in 2012. The money was supposedly intended for De Lima’s senatorial campaign.

“Such testimony was not corroborated by Ablen who only went so far as to state that he saw Dayan ‘try’ to hand the bag to accused De Lima on one occasion. Everything else that he testified to is based on what Ragos told him,” the motion stated.

“Far from corroborating Ragos’ testimony, he was merely parroting what Ragos allegedly told him.”

The motion also said that it was not proven that De Lima committed illegal drug trading by means of electronic device or even as a broker in transactions involved in illegal drug trafficking.

“[T]he fact that the alleged deliveries never actually took place stands uncontroverted by credible and competent evidence,” it said. “All in all, it cannot be said that conspiracy was proven beyond reasonable doubt.”

Judge Liezel Aquiatan of the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 205 last week junked De Lima’s demurrer to evidence and motion for bail, saying the prosecution had “presented sufficient evidence to sustain a verdict” at this point of the trial.

De Lima and Dayan will be given the chance to rebut the charges beginning March 5.

The court, however, acquitted De Lima in another drug case involving her alleged nephew Jose Adrian Dera. The senator is also facing another drug case that is pending before the Muntinlupa City RTC Branch 256.—LDF, GMA News