Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 7) — Detained former Senator Leila De Lima on Friday expressed dismay at prosecutors who asked the judge handling her remaining drug case to inhibit himself.
\”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 such inhibition,\” De Lima wrote in a statement.
Alcantara acquitted De Lima in her second drug case last May.
He said he granted the prosecution’s motion to put to rest any questions against his credibility, integrity, and fairness.
However, De Lima stressed that prosecutors should have allowed Alcantra to proceed with her case, citing his “independence, impartiality, and courage to do the right thing.”
\”Judge Alcantara does not suffer from any similar cause for inhibition such as a close blood relationship to a lawyer who played a part in my persecution, a clear case of conflict of interest,\” the former senator said.
\”Inhibition is done to assure the accused, not the government, that the trial of the case will be fair and regular,\” she added.
