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By Prince Golez, Manila Reporter
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MANILA – Sen. Leila de Lima has welcomed the Ombudsman order to investigate her alleged involvement in the illegal drugs trade.
The investigation will “clear” her from the serious allegations that she received money from suspected Eastern Visayas drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, said de Lima in a statement.
“It is about time that the Ombudsman assert its primary jurisdiction over my case, and oust the Department of Justice (DOJ) of any authority to take over cases cognizable by the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan, especially in this instance where the DOJ has shown its lack of objectivity and interest in pursuing the truth,” the senator said.
She believes the Office of the Ombudsman will be fair and objective in investigating the complaint against her given the “competence” and “impartiality” of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, according to the former justice secretary.
De Lima furthered: “[A]t present, the Ombudsman is the most trusted and respected investigation office of the government, after both the DOJ and the National Bureau of Investigation have proven themselves to be nothing more than instruments of the present administration against vocal dissenters to the President, such as myself.”
Carpio-Morales has said she is “conducting fact-finding” on de Lima’s alleged drug ties based on the Oct. 12 complaint by Albuera police chief Jovie Espenido.
“There have been some leads,” the Ombudsman said at the University of the Philippines’ College of Law event Friday last week.
At the second Senate hearing on the killing of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Ronaldo Espinosa, Kerwin claimed he gave de Lima a total of P8 million through her former bodyguard and driver Ronnie Dayan.
The amount given in a number of transactions was supposed to help fund the 2016 senatorial bid of de Lima./PN
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