Court dismisses De Lima’s final drug case

After seven years, former Senator Leila de Lima is cleared of all drug charges against her as a Muntinlupa court on Monday granted her demurrer to evidence, effectively dismissing her third and final drug case.

“Demurer is granted,” Atty. Boni Tacardon, De Lima’s legal counsel, said in a message to reporters.

In the decision, Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 206 granted the demurrer for failure of the prosecution to prove the guilt of all accused beyond reasonable doubt.

“Assessing the totality of the evidence presented by the prosecution, the Court is of the firm resolve and so holds that the prosecution was not able to prove the guilt of all accused beyond reasonable doubt,” the court said.

Also acquitted along with De Lima are former Corrections Director Franklin Bucayu, De Lima's former bodyguard Ronnie Dayan, Joenel Sanchez and Jad Dera. 

De Lima filed her demurrer in March, where she asked the court to acquit and declare her not guilty for failure of the prosecution to prove her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

De Lima's camp noted that almost all the important evidence of the prosecution was presented during her bail hearing. They said that the court had declared that the prosecution's evidence was unable to prove her alleged complicity in the drug case when it granted her application for bail.

The former senator was freed on bail in November 2023 after being detained in Camp Crame since February 2017 over drug allegations.

Her first acquittal came in February 2021 when the Muntinlupa City RTC-Branch 205 junked one of her three cases.

In May 2023, the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 204 acquitted De Lima and Ronnie Dayan, her co-accused and former bodyguard, of an illegal drug trading charge on the ground of reasonable doubt.

Earlier, a Quezon City court also dismissed De Lima’s two disobedience cases.

Former boss

For their part, Prosecutors Romancito Ocampo and Darwin Cañete said they are mulling the filing of a motion for reconsideration.

“We have not yet read the decision itself, so we are not discounting the possibility of exhausting all proper legal remedies,” Ocampo said.

“We have to discuss whether or not we will file a motion for reconsideration or any other legal remedy that may be warranted,” he added.

Meanwhile, when asked how they felt about the court’s decision, Cañete said they have no “personal animosity” towards De Lima.

“We are also happy for the good senator because once upon a time she was our former boss and we do not lose our respect even though we are on the other side of the fence,” Ocampo said.—KG/RF, GMA Integrated News