The judge handling the case inhibited the hearing of the remaining drug case against former Senator Leila de Lima.
Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 256 Judge Romeo Buenaventura did this after information emerged that his brother is the lawyer of De Lima’s former driver and bodyguard, who gave a sworn statement against the former senator, which was later retracted.
“Simply put, the suspicion of the accused-movants, while unfounded if not contrived, cannot be ignored since it already tarnished the integrity and impartiality of the Court as well as the needed trust and confidence in all subsequent proceedings in the instant case,” Buenaventura said in the order dated June 15.
“For this reason, the undersigned Presiding Judge will exercise his discretion and will recuse himself from further hearing this case, not because the allegations are true but because it is his avowed duty as a member of the Bench to promote confidence in the judicial system, ” he explained.
As a result, all the records in De Lima’s case will be given to the Executive Judge so that the hearing in the former lawmaker’s case can be raffled off to another branch of the court.
Buenventura’s trial in De Lima’s case was scheduled for June 19 and 26 after he rejected the former lawmaker’s bail petition on June 7.
In the motion filed by Ronnie Dayan, De Lima’s former driver and bodyguard, Joenel Sanchez, and Franklin Bucayu, they said there is a report that Atty is Judge Buenaventura’s brother. Emmanuel Buenaventura, who served as the lawyer of former Congressman Reynaldo Umali.
Judge resigns from pending drug case vs De Lima
Umali served as chairman of the House Committee on Justice, which held a hearing on the illegal drug trend at the New Bilibid Prison.
As a result, all the records in De Lima’s case will be given to the Executive Judge so that the hearing in the former lawmaker’s case can be raffled off to another branch of the court.
Buenventura’s trial in De Lima’s case was scheduled to be held on June 19 and 26, after he rejected the former lawmaker’s bail petition on June 7.
In the motion filed by Ronnie Dayan, De Lima’s former driver and bodyguard, as well as Joenel Sanchez, and Franklin Bucayu, they said there is a report that Atty is Judge Buenaventura’s brother. Emmanuel Buenaventura, who served as the lawyer of former Congressman Reynaldo Umali.
Umali served as chairman of the House Committee on Justice, which held a hearing on the illegal drug trend at the New Bilibid Prison.
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