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Duterte says drug charges vs De Lima can still prosper after witnesses recanted testimony


President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday said drug charges against detained opposition Senator Leila de Lima can still prosper even after witnesses recanted their allegations against her.

Duterte made the remark after Rafael Ragos, a former officer in charge of the Bureau of Corrections who testified against De Lima, retracted his statement.

Ragos claimed he was threatened by then-Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre into making false allegations against her. Aguirre denied this.

“Itong si Ragos, well, he was a witness. But overall, we think we can still prosper in the prosecution of De Lima,” Duterte said in an interview with Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.

“Yung kay De Lima, she is ranting, calling me names, eh babae ka kasi ma’am eh so ayaw kitang babuyin sa ano.. hayaan na lang kita,” he added.

(De Lima, she is ranting, calling me names, you’re a woman so I don’t want to do anything to you, I just let you do that.)

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.

Self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, on the other hand, also recanted all of his drug allegations against detained senator, saying that he was “coerced, pressured, intimidated and seriously threatened” by the police to implicate De Lima.

“Itong si Kerwin may ano 'yan kung manalo si ano, ang kandidato nilang presidente ito lang ano, pardon yan, ‘wag kang mag-alala pardon 'yan o nabayaran,” Duterte said.

(If Kerwin's presidential candidate wins, they will be given pardon or they will get paid.)

“Itong si Ragos ganoon din, pera yan, pera-pera yan (Same with Ragos, they were paid),” he added.

Duterte claimed that Ragos allegedly received money from De Lima which he said came from the drug lords.

“Ngayon kung ikaw si Ragos bigyan ka ng 15 million, kung saan kunin ni De Lima 'yung pera? Sa drug lords. Tinutulungan siya ngayon sigurado, walang tao magpunta sa korte ‘to tell the truth nothing but the truth’ tapos magrecant ka ng ganun after a few years.. pera, pera yan,” he said.

(Now if you are Ragos and you were given 15 million, where will De Lima get the money? From the drug lords. They are helping him now for sure, no one goes to court ‘to tell the truth nothing but the truth’ and then you recant like that after a few years .. this is all about money, that’s money.)

“Si Aguirre sinasabi niyang coerced, sabihan ko si Aguirre..Bakit mo ako takut-takutin, bakit mo ako papirmahan ng hindi totoo? Kung hindi man buang ang mga 'yan,” he added.

(He is saying he was coerced by Aguirre, I will tell Aguirre..Why are you scaring me, why are you letting me sign this false document? Otherwise those are crazy.)

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is asking the Office of the Ombudsman to look into the retracted statements of Ragos on the drug cases of De Lima.

Prosecutor General Ben Malcontento said their best course of action is to refer the matter to the Ombudsman since it involves current and former officials of the DOJ.

He further stressed Ragos could possibly face perjury charges for recanting his previous statements.

The prosecutor general also dared Espinosa to reveal the names of individuals who allegedly made him bear false witness against the detained opposition senator.

He urged Espinosa to file a complaint so that an investigation may be initiated against those concerned.

De Lima, however, said the retraction of witnesses of their allegations is proof that the truth would always come out.

She claimed that her unjust detention was the “greatest frame-up, grandest conspiracy of lies, and grossest injustice” under the Duterte administration.

“Once they lost the moral certainty to have me convicted beyond reasonable doubt, it is their duty to withdraw the cases,” De Lima said.

GMA News Online has sought comment from the camps of De Lima and Ragos on the statements made by the President. They have yet to reply as of posting time.—AOL, GMA News
 

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