Detained former Senator Leila de Lima has expressed her disappointment toward the Department of Justice (DOJ) panel of prosecutors after a Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC) presiding judge voluntarily removed himself from hearing her third and last illegal drug case.
Muntinlupa RTC Branch 204 presiding judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara inhibited himself due to the questions of fairness raised by the DOJ panel prosecutor in their filed motion on July 7.
Alcantara is the same judge who ruled that the former Senator was acquitted beyond a reasonable doubt in her second drug case last May.
“While I respect the decision of Judge Abraham Joseph B. Alcantara recusing himself from my third and last remaining drug case, I am truly disappointed at the Prosecution’s move in seeking for such inhibition,” de Lima said in a statement released on Friday, July 7.
“If they are truly agents of justice, the Panel of Prosecutors should have proceeded to entrust the appreciation of their evidence through the crucible of a judge whose independence, impartiality, and courage to do the right thing have already been proven in the past, i.e., in my second case,” she added.
The former Senator questioned the DOJ prosecutors' grounds for inhibition, saying that these are not even “remotely close” to the grounds presented in the case of Muntinlupa RTC 256 presiding Judge Romeo Buenaventura.
Buenaventura was the first judge who recused himself from handling de Lima’s last and third case due to a clear conflict of interest.
“Inhibition is done to assure the accused, not the government, that the trial of the case will be fair and regular,” de Lima remarked.
She asserted that Acantara’s ruling on her second case was “definitely above board, consistent with law, evidence, and reason.”
Due to the two consecutive inhibitions, the case of de Lima will be transmitted to the Muntinlupa City RTC's Office of the Clerk of Court for re-raffle.
De Lima has been detained in the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center since 2017.
She was charged of illegal drugs raps for her alleged role in drug trade inside the New Bibilid Prison when she was serving as the DOJ Secretary.
