De Lima thanks Ombudsman for ‘upholding truth’ after dismissal of bribery raps

Former Senator Leila de Lima on Wednesday thanked the Office of the Ombudsman for  “upholding the truth” after it dismissed the direct and indirect bribery charges against her and a former bodyguard, Ronnie Dayan.

De Lima said the dismissal of the criminal complaint for bribery was proof that the cases filed against her were "based on lies and fabrications of witnesses who were either coerced or bribed.” 

The Ombudsman on Tuesday released a nine-page resolution dismissing the bribery charges against de Lima and Dayan in relation to their alleged conspiracy to extort money from alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa.

The Ombudsman said it found “glaring” inconsistencies in the testimonies of Espinosa, Ram-Jhon Michael Espinosa and Marcelo Adorco as to how the bribe was given and the supposed meeting with De Lima in Baguio City.

De Lima said the criminal complaint was based on the “manufactured testimonies” of Espinosa and Adorco in 2016, which they both recanted in 2022.

“Said subsequent recantations, while no longer factored in in the OMB Reso as recently released, all the more fortified its finding of no probable cause," De Lima said.

"In fact, it’s more than a lack of probable cause. It’s an utterly baseless charge. Factually inexistent,” she added.

“The recantations are just the final nail in the coffin of the whole Kerwin fairy tale that was woven by the Duterte administration to add to the Bilibid drug cases they also manufactured against me," De Lima said.

"One of these cases has since been dismissed,” she added.

De Lima has been detained since February 2017 for allegedly abetting the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison while serving as the Justice Secretary from 2010 to 2015. She has since denied the accusation.

One of the three cases against her has been dismissed by a Muntinlupa court. The two others remain pending.

“Department of Justice Sec. (Jesus Crispin) Remulla should start investigating if indeed the DOJ evidence have truthful basis or were manufactured, given the retractions of witnesses and the illegal use of criminal convicts as state witnesses by the Panel of Prosecutors,” De Lima said.

“Rather than mindless prosecution, the mission of the DOJ is to protect the innocent from the strong arm of the state when it is used for political ends. The DOJ should not go on knowingly prosecuting an innocent person,” she added. 

Right after opposition Senators Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III and  Risa Hontiveros filed a Senate Resolution calling for De Lima's release last month, Remulla said the merits of the evidence would be decided upon by the courts.

Remulla's office reiterated this position on Tuesday after Makabayan lawmakers also sought the dismissal of the cases against the former senator.

“It is the former senator's turn to present evidence so the court can decide on the facts presented to it,” Atty. Mico Clavano from the Office of the Justice Secretary told GMA News Online.

“The Department is one with the President in his call for unity. We are simply going through the legal processes available to our democracy,” he added. —NB, GMA News