MANILA – A Muntinlupa City court has upheld its earlier ruling acquitting Representative-elect Leila de Lima and her former aide Ronnie Dayan of involvement in the illegal drug trade, citing the absence of credible evidence following the retraction of a key witness.
In a ruling released over the weekend, Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 204’s Judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara maintained that the recantation of former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos’ testimony rendered the prosecution’s case too weak to convict.
“To reiterate and emphasize, the testimony of witness Ragos is necessary to sustain any possible conviction. Without his testimony, the crucial link to establish conspiracy is shrouded with reasonable doubt,” Alcantara wrote.
Ragos had previously testified that he and aide Jovencio Ablen Jr. delivered P10 million in alleged drug money to then-Justice secretary de Lima in November and December 2012. But in 2022, Ragos retracted his statement, saying he was coerced into falsely implicating the former senator.
The revised court decision emphasized that the “constitutionally guaranteed presumption of innocence” must be upheld, and noted that the prosecution had “expressly admitted the damaging effect of Ragos’ extrajudicial and judicial recantations.”
“Thus, the undersigned presiding judge submits that the original decision already clearly and distinctly stated the facts and law upon which it was based,” the ruling stated.
De Lima, who was detained for seven years before securing bail in November 2023, welcomed the decision as another affirmation of her innocence.
“Vindicated numerous times, and yet they are relentless in trying to silence me. But no matter how hard they try, they cannot erase the truth, nor undo what has already been revealed in the light of justice,” she said in a statement.
“I hope and pray that this is the last nail in the coffin of this most expensive frame-up in Philippine history,” she added./PN
