De Lima calls for deeper probe into Espinosa’s alleged escape from NBI facility

Detained Senator Leila de Lima on Thursday urged the government to conduct a deeper investigation into the alleged failed escaped of self-confessed drug dealer Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa and two other detainees from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) facility.

In a statement, the opposition senator called on the authorities to gather enough evidence to establish whether or not there is a real attempt to escape the detention facility and determine the motive behind it.

“On Espinosa’s reported foiled escape and his reported denial thereof, I call for a thorough probe on this. Did he or did he not attempt or plan to escape? If such attempt is confirmed by evidence, investigators must dig deeper. What could be his motivation, particularly in light of the recent junking by the court of one of his cases?” she asked.

“There might be more to this than meets the eye,” she added.

De Lima made the remark as she noted that one of the cases against Espinosa was junked by a Makati court in December for supposedly failing to prove with sufficient evidence his alleged conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading.

She highlighted how she was being connected with Espinosa, claiming the latter once “lied about” allegedly bribing her in the past.

“By now, I should be used to being unjustly used as a distraction from the government’s multitude of failures and controversies. But no one should ever get used to being a victim. So let two things be remembered,” she said.

“At the time Espinosa falsely testified against me, his father had just been killed while under detention – in one of the rare incidents that everyone, including many of my colleagues in the Senate, agrees is a classic case of [Extrad-judicial killing],” she said.

Further, De Lima emphasized that the case against her which stemmed from Espinosa’s false statements has long been dismissed for lack of evidence by the Department of Justice.

“For an agency that has supported the other drug cases it did file against me with the flimsiest of evidence, such as the testimonies of criminal convicts, that is saying something about the incredibility of Espinosa’s story. End of story as far as I am concerned,” she said.

“For, indeed, the story about me having received [P8 million] from Espinosa was pure concoction. How could I have received anything from him or dealt with him in any manner when I don’t even know him from Adam?” De Lima asked.

De Lima said Espinosa, in one of the previous congressional hearings, ‘falsely’ testified that she was part of the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison during her stint as Justice secretary under the Aquino administration.

NBI OIC-Director Eric Distor on Monday reported that Espinosa and two other prisoners attempted to escape the facility through a hole of the exhaust fan at the ceiling on January 13.

This was denied by Espinosa.

The DOJ, on the other hand, said Espinosa must be transferred to a more secured detention facility.

In December 2021, a Makati Regional Trial Court dismissed the case against self-confessed drug distributor Kerwin Espinosa, and others for the failure of the prosecution to cite evidence to overturn their presumption of innocence.

This is regarding the conspiracy that the Espinosa group agreed to commit illegal trading or trafficking of dangerous drugs. — Hana Bordey/RSJ, GMA News