Senator Leila de Lima dared opponents to file charges against her before the Office of the Ombudsman and not before the Department of Justice.
This was the challenge released by the female senator after the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) filed a complaint against her and seven others for their alleged involvement in the Bilibid drug trade.
The complaint-affidavit was filed before the DOJ for violation of Section 26(b) of Republic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The respondents on the said case were De Lima, former DOJ Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III, former Bureau of Corrections chief Franklin Bucayu, De Lima’s security aide Joenel Sanchez, De Lima’s former driver Ronnie Dayan, Bucayu’s former staff Wilfredo Ely, Jose Adrian Dera and Bilibid inmate Jaybee Sebastian.
After knowing the news, de Lima insisted that the Office of the Ombudsman is the proper agency with jurisdiction in cases against her for acts done during her term as secretary of Justice.
In a statement, de Lima said, “although the DOJ may initially take cognizance, this case against me would eventually only be filed by the DOJ with the Ombudsman for another round of fact-finding investigation.”
The former DOJ secretary welcomed the complaint filed against her but she noted that the complainants only wasted time by filing it before the DOJ.
“Unless they have other reasons for filing it with the DOJ instead of the Ombudsman. Maybe because that is the domain of [Justice Secretary Vitaliano] Aguirre, the master of fakery. Justice under Aguirre is fake,” the senator added.
On Monday, the DOJ issued an immigration lookout bulletin order against De Lima and four others for her alleged involvement in the proliferation of the illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison.
The order requires the senator to get a travel permit from the DOJ when she plans to have a trip outside the country.
On the case filed on Tuesday, the VACC claimed that the respondents conspired with one another in the sale and trade of illegal drugs inside and outside the NBP from 2012 to 2016.
According to the group, De Lima allegedly used her authority as then DOJ secretary to promote the proliferation of the drug trade inside the penitentiary, as what the inmates who faced the House investigation have revealed.
The complaint of the VACC was based on the affidavits of several resources including National Bureau of Investigation Deputy Director Rafael Ragos and NBP inmate Herbert Colanggo.