De Lima: Justice will still be served no matter how late

Detained Senator Leila de Lima on Monday took to Twitter to express her thoughts after two key witnesses in the drug cases lodged against her recently recanted their statements.

“Mahigit 5 taon na akong ipinakulong at naghihintay sa pagkakataong ito. Mahigit 5 taon ng inhustisya.  Sa kabila nito, nagpapasalamat ako sa lalong pagtibay at paglabas ng katotohanan na ako ay inosente, at kung sino ang mga nagsabwatan para ako'y siraan, gipitin at patahimikin,” De Lima said in a tweet.

(More than five years have passed since I have been detained and I have been waiting for this moment. It's more than five years of injustice. Despite this, I am grateful for telling the truth that I am innocent, and for revealing the identity of those who connived to undermine, persecute, and silence me.)

The lawmaker said she appreciated the recent developments, hoping that others will follow the steps of the two key witnesses who renounced their allegations against the senator.

“Five years too late but still appreciated. Sana makonsensya na rin lahat ng nasangkot sa gawa-gawang kaso laban sa akin. Patuloy po ang laban natin para sa katotohanan at hustisya,” she said in another tweet.

(Five years too late but still appreciated. I hope those who were involved in lodging trumped up charges against me will follow their conscience. We will continue the fight for the truth and justice.)

Mahigit 5 taon na akong ipinakulong at naghihintay sa pagkakataong ito. Mahigit 5 taon ng inhustisya.

Sa kabila nito, nagpapasalamat ako sa lalong pagtibay at paglabas ng katotohanan na ako ay inosente, at kung sino ang mga nagsabwatan para ako'y siraan, gipitin at patahimikin.

— Leila de Lima (@SenLeiladeLima) May 2, 2022

It appears, after all, that justice will still be served, no matter how late. Five years too late. But indeed, Truth often bides its time. It patiently waits and is never vanquished. #Hustisya

— Leila de Lima (@SenLeiladeLima) May 2, 2022

“It appears, after all, that justice will still be served, no matter how late. Five years too late. But indeed, Truth often bides its time. It patiently waits and is never vanquished,” she added.

Rafael Ragos, a former officer in charge of the Bureau of Corrections who testified against De Lima, has retracted his claim that she received millions in proceeds from the prison drug trade from him.

He also said that he was threatened by then-Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre into making false allegations against her.

Ragos apologized to De Lima for testifying against her and said she should be cleared of the drug charges, for which she has been detained since February 2017.

In 2016, Ragos told a Senate hearing that he delivered, along with aide Jovencio Ablen Jr., P5 million in proceeds from the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison to De Lima's house in Parañaque City in 2012.

He also testified then that the kickbacks came from Peter Co and other drug lords to support De Lima's senatorial bid in 2013.

De Lima, who appointed Ragos OIC of BuCor in 2012, denied the allegations.

Prior to this, self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa last week recanted all of his allegations against De Lima, but the Prosecutor General said that his statement has no bearing on the case as he is not a government witness.

De Lima, a fierce critic of President Rodrigo Duterte and his war on drugs, was jailed in February 2017 over the allegations and is still in detention. Local and international human rights defenders have called for the release of the senator, who is running for re-election. — BM, GMA News