TIMELINE: De Lima’s road to vindication

“I am now completely free and vindicated.”

This was how former Senator Leila de Lima felt after a Muntinlupa court on Monday granted her demurrer to evidence, effectively dismissing her third and final drug case and clearing her of all drug charges after seven years of trial.

Here's how De Lima's long and grueling battle for justice happened.

August 2016 — Former President Rodrigo Duterte accused De Lima, a vocal critic of his administration, of being involved in the illegal drug trade.

He previously spoke of a senator, whose driver allegedly collected money for her during the campaign. He also linked the unnamed lawmaker to illegal drugs.

September 2016 — The Senate voted to oust De Lima as chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, which was holding a probe on alleged extrajudicial killings and summary executions amid Duterte’s war on drugs.

The decision came days after De Lima presented witness Edgar Matobato, a confessed hitman and member of the so-called Davao Death Squad, who claimed that Duterte was behind several killings in Davao City during his term as mayor.

De Lima later dared Duterte to have her arrested immediately amid accusations of her involvement in the illegal drug trade.

October 2016 — Former Senator Richard Gordon, who replaced De Lima as chairman of the Senate justice committee, terminated the investigation on EJKs. 

February 2017 — The Department of Justice, under then-DOJ chief Vitaliano Aguirre, filed three separate drug cases against De Lima in connection with her alleged participation in the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

A Muntinlupa Court later ordered De Lima’s detention at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center inside Camp Crame in Quezon City.

February 2021 — The Muntinlupa RTC Branch 205 junked the first of the three drug cases against De Lima.

April 2022 — De Lima’s former driver and bodyguard, Ronnie Dayan, said that his statements that he transported drug money for the senator were made "under duress" and without the benefit of counsel.

April 2022 — Self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa retracted all of his allegations against the former senator.

Espinosa had testified that De Lima was part of the drug trade at the NBP.

Former Corrections officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos also recanted his statements against De Lima, claiming he was threatened into making false allegations.

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

May 2023 — The Muntinlupa RTC 204 acquitted De Lima in her second drug case on grounds of reasonable doubt.

The court stated that though the prosecution was able to establish the existence of rampant illegal drug trading at the NBP, Ragos’ retraction cast reasonable doubt on De Lima and Dayan’s involvement in it.

October 2023 — Two witnesses in De Lima’s remaining case expressed desire to recant their allegations against her.

November 2023 — The Muntinlupa RTC Branch 206 granted De Lima’s motion for reconsideration on her bail petition in her remaining drug case.

De Lima was released on bail on the same day.

Seven witnesses in her drug case later said they were coerced into testifying against her. They said their participation “was vitiated by undue compulsion and influence” and that any statement they made was void due to lack of consent.

March 2024 — De Lima files her demurrer to evidence in her remaining drug case, asking 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.

June 2024 — De Lima is cleared of all drug charges for failure of the prosecution to prove the guilt of all accused beyond reasonable doubt in her last drug case.—LDF/KBK, GMA Integrated News