(Eagle News)–Senator Leila de Lima on Saturday, June 9, belied former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre’s claim that the Supreme Court decision that affirmed the validity of her arrest on drug charges vindicated him.
According to De Lima, “it only means that the Davao criminal syndicate that has captured state power in 2016 has not only been using the power of the executive department to eliminate their sworn enemies, like myself, but was also able to extend its influence as well to the judicial branch of government.”
De Lima alleged Aguirre “knows how he fabricated every single piece of testimony against me..”
She said this was “from arranging the House of Representatives circus of Bilibid convicts, the stabbing of Jaybee Sebastian and other Bilibid 19 convicts who then still refused to testify against me, the special privileges given to the convicts who did testify against me, the coercion and intimidation of (Department of Justice) officials and employees who refused to implicate me, up to the manufacturing of fictitious and non-existent BDO bank accounts which, up to now, have not been shown to actually exist and contain money that belongs to me.”
It was Aguirre, who was then the justice secretary, who filed drug charges against De Lima.
The charges stem from her alleged involvement in the illegal drug trading in the New Bilibid Prison.
On Wednesday, June 6, the SC denied De Lima’s motion for reconsideration of its earlier decision that affirmed the validity of her arrest, thereby ruling on the issue with finality.
De Lima is detained in Camp Crame.