On Friday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it is reviewing illegal drug allegations against jailed Senator Leila de Lima after multiple witnesses retracted their testimony against her.
Recantations must be made in court, according to Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.
“Yang mga ebidensya sa mga kaso ay lagi naman yang nire-review periodically ng Department of Justice depende kung ano ang nangyayari sa proseso ng trial nung kaso sa mga korte. Kaya yung sa kaso ni Senator De Lima ganoon din ang ginagawa namin (maski) may retraction or pagbawi ng mga statements or not,” Guevarra told TeleRadyo.
(The evidence in the cases is continually reviewed periodically by the Department of Justice depending on what happens in the trial process of the case in the courts. So in the case of Senator De Lima, we do the same (at least) with retraction or retrieval of statements or not.)
“Kaya lamang, siyempre yung mga retractions na yan kailangan i-present yan sa court. Hindi naman sa media dapat pine-present lamang yan,” he added.
(But, of course, retractions have to be presented in court, not before the media.)
Recanting witnesses, according to Guevarra, must be cross-examined in court.
DOJ reviewing illegal drugs cases vs. De Lima
“Kasi sa ngayon, hindi naman natin masasabi kung alin ang totoo, at alin ba ang totoo–yun bang unang sinabi, o yung pagbawi? Kaya ‘yon ay dapat na idaan sa masusing examination,” Guevarra explained.
“Ang Department of Justice naman ay nakahanda na tanggapin kung ano ang talagang lilitaw na katotohanan.”
(For the time being, we can’t tell which is true: the original testimony or the recantation. This must be thoroughly investigated. The DOJ will accept whatever information comes to light.)
De Lima, a former justice secretary, and human rights commissioner, has been incarcerated since 2017 on suspicion of involvement in drug cartels, which she has described as “political persecution” by President Duterte.
In February of last year, one of her three drug prosecutions was dismissed.
Meanwhile, Guevarra said the department is still looking into the assassinations in President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war.
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