Metro Manila, Philippines – Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima has asked Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to investigate the prosecutors behind the drug cases which she was acquitted of.
Dino de Leon, the lawmaker’s counsel, submitted a letter-complaint – penned by de Lima and addressed to Remulla – at the Department of Justice on Thursday, Aug. 14.
She wanted the agency to look into the following prosecutors for what she called “grave misconduct and gross ignorance of the law”:
+ Provincial Prosecutor Ramoncito Bienvenido Ocampo Jr.
+ City Prosecutor Blas Antonio Tuliao
+ City Prosecutor Laurence Joel Taliping
+ Deputy City Prosecutor Leilia Llanes
+ Deputy City Prosecutor Evangeline Viudez-Canobas
+ Deputy City Prosecutor Darwin Canete
+ Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Rudy Ricamora Jr.
+ Senior Assistant City Prosecutor John Quincy Carandang
+ Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Wendell Bendoval
+ Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Alfred Joseph Jamora
“There must be a reckoning for those who abused their authority, manipulated the prosecutorial process, and orchestrated this flagrant perversion of the law,” De Lima said in the letter.
The administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, whom de Lima was a critic of, filed what she called trumped-up drug charges against her. She was detained for almost seven years and was eventually acquitted from all three cases.
“The cases against me were not built on evidence, but on coercion and lies, orchestrated within the Department of Justice itself during the time of President Rodrigo Duterte,” she said.
A number of people, including the late former Bureau of Corrections Director General Rafael Ragos, recanted their statements that implicated De Lima. Ragos, in particular, said then-Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II coerced him to invent a story of delivering money to de Lima’s residence.
READ: Pressure from Dela Rosa to implicate De Lima in drug trade – Espinosa
READ: Retired cop recants illegal drugs testimony vs De Lima
The lawmaker criticized the prosecutors’ pursuit of the drug cases despite the retractions.
“They turned a blind eye to the glaring absence of material evidence and the dubious nature of their so-called star witness, even after Mr. Ragos himself admitted the story was pure fabrication. This constitutes Grave Misconduct,” De Lima said.
She also flagged the prosecutors’ filing of a second appeal on her acquittal in one of the drug cases. The prosecution withdrew their motion for reconsideration upon Remulla’s instruction.
READ: De Lima slams appeal to reconsider drug case acquittal
“Their actions amount to gross ignorance of the law. A judgment of acquittal is final and immediately executory. This is a fundamental principle that every lawyer should know, let alone a government prosecutor,” De Lima said.
On the sidelines of the letter submission, de Leon said the request for investigation is just the first of several actions they intend to take, noting they will file a case against Aguirre.
“Para sa amin, binaboy ang justice system at ang Department of Justice as an institution. Hindi the same ang credibility pagkatapos silang gamitin ng administrasyon ni Rodrigo Duterte,” he said.
[Translation: For us, the justice system and the Department of Justice was tainted as an institution. The credibility is not the same after they were used by the administration of Rodrigo Duterte.]
“Ang usapin dito, delikado ang sambayanang Pilipino ‘pag may mga piskal na nagpapagamit at wine-weaponize ang justice system para patahimikin ang ating duly elected leaders at even ang taumbayan,” he added.
