Kerwin Espinosa’s withdrawal of his earlier allegations against the senator in connection with illegal drugs does not affect Sen. Leila de Lima’s case, the Palace said Friday.
This was the statement of acting presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar on the recovery of the self-confessed drug lord of the allegations against De Lima.
“While Kerwin Espinosa appears to have recanted his allegations against Sen. Leila de Lima, his recantation will not have any effect on the pending criminal cases against the lady senator,” he said.
“We have to underscore what the Prosecutor General said — Mr. Espinosa is not a state witness,” Andanar added.
Espinosa’s lawyer said Thursday that it had withdrawn the allegations against the senator.
According to Atty. Raymund Palad, this is based on the counter-affidavit they submitted to the Department of Justice regarding the drug complaint filed against Espinosa.
“Na-realize ni Kerwin na since wala na siya sa Witness Protection Program. Hindi na siya witness ng gobyerno. Inalis na ‘yung mga privileges niya. Tinanggal siya sa custody ng NBI (National Bureau of Investigation),” Palad said in an interview with TeleRadyo Friday.
(Kerwin realized that since he was no longer in the Witness Protection Program. He is no longer a government witness. His privileges have been taken away. He was removed from the custody of the NBI.)
Withdrawal of Kerwin Espinosa’s allegations no effect on De Lima’s case – Palace
“So what’s the use of being with the side ng government sa mga confession na’to kung wala namang inuurong na demanda laban kay Kerwin Espinosa.”
(So what’s the use of being with the government’s side in these confessions if there is no withdrawal of the lawsuit against Kerwin Espinosa.)
Espinosa stated in the counter-affidavit that all of his accusations against De Lima were untrue.
Kerwin 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.
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