Justice Velasco refutes De Lima’s claim linking him to convicted drug lord

Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr. on Friday refuted Senator Leila de Lima's claim linking him to a convicted drug lord to support her call for his inhibition in hearing her petition to nullify her arrest.

Velasco denied De Lima's claim, which was based on an investigative report, that he pushed for the acquittal of drug lord German Agojo when the SC Second Division deliberated on the case in 2009.

"The High Court affirmed the conviction of Mr. Agojo. Justice Velasco did not file any dissent to the ponencia of now retired Justice Dante Tinga nor verbally move for Agojo's acquittal. Justice Tinga clarified that the deliberation on the Agojo case was very 'uneventful'," the magistrate said.

He said he does not know nor has met Agojo, a witness in the drug case against De Lima, and "has no relationship whatsoever with the alleged drug lord."

Velasco added De Lima based her allegation of conflict of interest on the report of veteran journalist Maritess Vitug, whom the magistrate sued for libel which he has since withdrawn.

For Velasco, De Lima's move to seek for his inhibition "could simply be an attempt on her part to gain an advantage" in connection with her petition, which is set to be deliberated next week.

De Lima is currently detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame over allegations that she conspired with high-profile inmates to sell or trade illegal drugs inside the New Bilibid Prison during her term as justice secretary in exchange for millions of pesos supposedly for her senatorial campaign last year. —KBK, GMA News