De Lima on witnesses taking back allegations: Truth will always come out

The retraction of witnesses of their allegations against is proof that the truth would always come out, opposition and reelectionist Senator Leila De Lima said on Tuesday.

In a statement, De Lima said the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s decision to keep her detained despite the recent developments has put into question the department’s “fidelity to justice.”

“Anyone can see how I am in no position to force anything from the witnesses against me,” De Lima said.

“There are many things questionable about the cases against me. The recantation of witnesses is not one of them. If anything, this is the only thing that makes sense: it's proof that the truth will always come out,” she added.

Rafael Ragos, a former officer in charge of the Bureau of Corrections, has retracted his statement that he delivered bags of cash to De Lima from drug personalities inside the New Bilibid Prison.

He claimed that he was threatened by then Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre into making false allegations against her.

Ragos apologized to De Lima for testifying against her and said she that should be cleared of the drug charges, for which she had been detained since February 2017.

In 2016, Ragos told a Senate hearing that he delivered, along with aide Jovencio Ablen Jr., P5 million in proceeds from the illegal drug trade inside the Muntinlipa penitentiary to De Lima's house in Parañaque City in 2012.

De Lima claimed that her unjust detention was the “greatest frame-up, grandest conspiracy of lies, and grossest injustice” under the Duterte administration.

“Once they lost the moral certainty to have me convicted beyond reasonable doubt, it is their duty to withdraw the cases,” De Lima said.

The DOJ said the retracted statements of Ragos would not destroy the strength of evidence of the drug cases against De Lima and her former driver and bodyguard Ronnie Dayan.

The DOJ said Ragos' statement was also "highly suspicious" and "questionable" coming several years after his affidavits to the court.

Self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa earlier disowned his sworn statements during the Senate joint committee hearings on the killing of his father Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr., saying he was “coerced, pressured, intimidated and seriously threatened” by the police to implicate de Lima.

The DOJ said it was looking into filing perjury complaints against Espinosa. —NB, GMA News