Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) — The hearing of the drug case against reelectionist Senator Leila De Lima was rescheduled to May 30 due to the failure of the prosecution to present their witness, New Bilibid Prison inmate Joel Capones, in court on Monday.
In a statement on Monday, De Lima’s lawyer Rolly Francis said the NBP could not physically present Capones in court due to “high risk security concerns.”
“De Lima’s panel insisted that as part of the Senator’s Constitutional rights, it is critical that they be able to observe the demeanor of the witness to assess the truthfulness of his testimony and avoid miscarriage of justice,” he added.
De Lima physically attended the resumption of the hearing at the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 256.
She has been detained since 2017 on allegations that she used drug money for her senatorial campaign in 2016.
A fierce critic of President Rodrigo Duterte and the administration’s war on illegal drugs, De Lima led a raid at the NBP when she was the justice secretary. During the operation, authorities discovered luxurious quarters of 19 drug lords, drugs, weapons and other smuggled items.
She was acquitted in one of her three drug cases, with the other two still pending at the Muntinlupa RTC.
READ: TIMELINE: De Lima’s struggle in prison
