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By Prince Golez, Manila Reporter
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Wednesday, February 8, 2017
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MANILA – “I am not a drug trafficker!”
This was Sen. Leila de Lima’s reaction after Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, lawyer of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), accused her of trafficking illegal drugs.
In a statement during the Senate justice committee’s public hearing on the bills seeking to revive the death penalty, Topacio, citing the House investigation into the Bilibid drug trade, said that drug deals persist in prison.
“There are those who are beyond rehabilitation. For instance, many drug traders… are still capable of dealing with drugs, which is why the VACC, the NBI, and other agencies have filed cases for drug trafficking against Sen. (Leila) de Lima and other persons,” the lawyer said.
“I want him to take that back,” de Lima replied with a loud voice.
Topacio, however, denied calling the senator a drug trafficker, saying “the transcript of records would bear me out when I say that whether those charges would be proven or not, we do not know.”
The former Justice secretary, in turn, questioned the VACC lawyer of singling her out.
“Bakit hindi mo pangalanan ‘yung mga tunay na drug trafficker? Ako lang ang kinakasuhan niyo,” de Lima added./PN
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