Manila: A Philippine court on Thursday issued an arrest order for combative Senator Leila de Lima, in connection with allegations that she received drug money from an influential prison syndicate.
Judge Juanita Guerero, of the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 204, ordered the arrest of De Lima, who on Thursday afternoon remained holed up in her locked office at the Senate building in Pasay City.
Aside from the De Lima, also ordered arrested were Rafael Ragos and Ronnie Dayan who are respectively a close aide and personal driver of the senator.
“After a careful evaluation of the herein information and all the evidence presented during the preliminary investigation conducted in this case by the Department of Justice, Manila, the court finds sufficient probable cause for the issuance of warrants of arrest against Leila M. de Lima, Rafael Marcos Z. Ragos and Ronnie Palisoc Dayan,” the court order states.
De Lima and her aides are being accused of violating the law against drugs, particularly Section 5 of the Dangerous Drugs Act.
This particular law deems as illegal the “sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation of illegal drugs,” and prescribes a punishment of imprisonment from a minimum of 12 years to life imprisonment and payment of fine from 500,000 pesos to 10 million pesos (Dh36,502 to Dh730,043).
The arrest order was issued after the Department of Justice last week charged De Lima, who was justice secretary until last year, with accepting money from high-profile drug syndicates in exchange for allowing the jailed felons to conduct their business even while in prison.
De Lima is known to be close to former President Benigno Aquino III and is an active member of his political organisation, the Liberal Party (LP).
Meanwhile, incumbent Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre alleged that a former senator and an incumbent member of the House of Representatives, who is with the LP, had tried to bribe high profile inmates who have direct knowledge on De Lima’s acceptance of protection money during the time she was justice secretary.
Aguirre said the information held by national penitentiary New Bilibid Prisons inmates Vicenty Sy, JoJo Baligad Herbert Colanggo, Engelberto Aceñas Dureno, and Wu Tuan Yuan or Peter Co could pin down De Lima on allegations that she was providing protection to the six high profile inmates who were allegedly involved in running a drug distribution ring under the noses of jail authorities.
“We have information that the first offer to the inmates was made on Wednesday afternoon. It was made by a former senator and an incumbent Congressman of the Liberal Party in the Province of Laguna. The inmates were told that they have to recant before February 25, 2017,” according to Aguirre.
