The Department of Justice (DOJ) plans to file a perjury case against ‘self-confessed drug lord’ Kerwin Espinosa after he withdrew all the testimony against Sen. Leila de Lima.
“Tinitingnan ‘yan ngayon ng ating Office of Prosecutor General, kung puwede ngang makasuhan [ng perjury], kasi nga magkaiba ‘yung kaniyang naging statement,” said DOJ Undersecretary Adrian Sugay.
Sugay asserted that when Espinosa revealed the accusations against De Lima, he was ‘under oath, which he suddenly turned his back on.
“I think that is something Mr. Espinosa has to contend with. He has to answer the issue. What happened? Why is it like that?” the official said.
Espinosa will have to face any responsibility or liability that his retraction of testimony will bring.
Malacañang, on the other hand, believes that the reversal and withdrawal of Espinosa’s testimony will not affect the drug charges facing De Lima.
Acting Presidential Spokesman Martin Andanar pointed out that Espinosa was not among the state witnesses against De Lima.
“We have to underscore what the Prosecutor General said — Mr. Espinosa is not a state witness,” said Andanar.
DOJ to file perjury case vs. Kerwin Espinosa
De Lima’s lawyer, Atty Filibon Tacardon, is confident that he will also admit other alleged forced witnesses against the detained legislator.
Espinosa’s accusation was that he allegedly gave P8 million to De Lima for his senatorial campaign through the former driver of the senator Ronnie Dayan.
De Lima, a known fierce critic of the Duterte administration, was arrested on February 24, 2017.
Espinosa disowned his sworn statements during the Senate joint committee hearings on the killing of his father, Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr., in a counter-affidavit filed with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday, claiming that he was “coerced, pressured, intimidated, and seriously threatened” by the police to implicate de Lima.
“Any and all of his statements given during the Senate hearings, or in the form of sworn written affidavits, against Senator Leila de Lima are not true. He has no dealings with Sen. de Lima and has not given her any money at any given time,” the document stated.
Visit our Facebook page for more news updates.