MANILA – Former Senator Leila de Lima is now free after a Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court acquitted de Lima in the last drug-related case filed against her by the Duterte Administration.
According to her legal counsel Boni Tacardon, Muntinlupa RTC branch 206 granted de Lima’s motion for demurrer to evidence, which was filed last March, where she asked the court to dismiss the case for lack of evidence.
Presiding Judge Gener Gito of Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206 granted the demurrer to evidence, meaning that “the evidence presented by the prosecution was not enough to prove de Lima’s guilt.”
This also means that if a court grants a demurrer, it effectively dismisses all the charges against an accused.
Earlier, the Muntinlupa City RTC Branch 205 dismissed one of her three cases last February 2021. De Lima was later acquitted last May 2023 by the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 204 along with her co-accused and former bodyguard, Ronnie Dayan.
Since February 2017, de Lima has been in detention for her alleged involvement in the New Bilibid Prison illegal drug trade. She was later granted temporary liberty on November 13 last year after the court allowed her to post bail.
Her co-accused former Bureau of Corrections Director Franklin Jesus Bucayu, former aides Ronnie Dayan and Joenel Sanchez, and the alleged bagman, Jose Adrian Dera, were also allowed to post bail in the amount of P300,000.
Before this, former policemen Nonilo Arile and Rodolfo Magleo recanted their testimonies against de Lima due to “being bothered by their conscience.”
Both were witnesses who accused de Lima of being involved with the deceased high-profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian in illegal drug trade in New Bilibid Prisons.
Free and vindicated
In an ambush interview following the promulgation, De Lima told reporters that she feels “free and vindicated”.
"The grant of our demurrer to evidence…means now I am completely free and vindicated," she said.
She also said that she now feels more at ease and that she can start to sleep better.
The former Senator thanked all those who supported her so that she was be able to overcome the “fabricated and spurious charges” against her.
De Lima warns ex-President Duterte
De Lima also left a stern warning directed to former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Ito po ang message ko sa Dating Pangulo, kay Ginoong Duterte. Kayo ngayon ang mananagot sa mga kasalanan niyo sa taumbayan. Isa lang po akong biktima. Libu libong mga Pilipino ang pinaslang nila noong nakaraang madugo at pekeng war on drugs. Maraming pamilya ang naulila. Yung iba nga hindi pinatay pero nabubulok naman sila sa mga kulungan dahil sa mali at baluktot na pagpapatupad ng batas.”
(This is my message to the former President, Mr. Duterte. You will be liable for what you did to the Filipino people. I am just one victim but there are thousands of Filipinos who were killed during the bloody at fake war on drugs. Many families lost their loved ones. Others who were not killed are rotting in jail brought by the distorted implementation of the law.)
De Lima also said that she is now more than ready to continue the fight against “injustices and oppression”.
