NBI: De Lima ‘nephew’ denied links to Bilibid drug trade

A top official of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said Wednesday the alleged nephew and security aide of Senator Leila De Lima denied allegations that he is involved in the illegal drug trade inside the national penitetiary.

NBI Director Dante Gierran said in a text message that Jose Adrian Dera alias Jad De Vera "voluntarily" went to the agency on Monday to give his side on the controversy.

"Kusang pumunta sa amin at nilinis lang ang kanyang name," Gierran said. "Also, he can't be under our custody kasi wala pa naman siyang kaso."

The Department of Justice (DOJ) had said Dera had been taken into custody by the NBI, which is conducting a fact-finding investigation into the alleged proliferation of illegal drugs inside the New Bilibid Prison during De Lima's term as justice chief.

Dera reportedly came from the Manila Police District Station 11, where he was asked to detail his knowledge about the drug transactions in Binondo as a government asset, before he was brought to the NBI headquarters.

Dera, a co-respondent of De Lima in the drug trafficking complaint filed by a crime watchdog with the DOJ, claimed to be a nephew and security aide of the senator as recalled by Bilibid inmate Hans Anton Tan in a hearing of the House justice committee on the NBP drug mess on September 21.

Tan also said that Dera had a role in the supposed abduction of the relatives of high-profile inmate Peter Co last March.

Co allegedly had given a total of P5 million to Dera up until the senatorial election in May for the release of Co's niece, her husband and their companions.

The money allegedly went to the campaign kitty of De Lima, who has repeatedly denied the allegation. —KG, GMA News