(Eagle News) — Suspected big-time drug lord in Eastern Visayas Kerwin Espinosa detailed how he gave drug money, amounting to P8 million to Ronnie Dayan and her boss, then Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, before the May 2016 elections to allegedly fund her senatorial bid.
During the Senate inquiry on Wednesday, November 23, Espinosa gave explosive details on the drug money he gave to Dayan for De Lima, and how he was able to confirm that De Lima indeed knew about it.
Kerwin said he met De Lima in Baguio City in November last year, and that he even told her that the money she had asked for was already with Dayan.
He even had a picture taken with De Lima, together with his wife and children.
He said this happened between November 19 and 22 last year.
The meeting place happened in Burnham Park in Baguio City.
It was Dayan who allegedly contacted him for the meeting with De Lima, after Espinosa sought this as assurance that the previous drug money he had been giving to Dayan, really went to De Lima.
Espinosa said he gave the P8 million being asked by De Lima, through Dayan.
But the Baguio meeting was where he gave the second of several batches of drug money.
Espinosa recalled that Dayan told him that they should just meet in Baguio as the justice secretary had a meeting there.
Dayan explained that it would be difficult for De Lima to meet Espinosa in Manila, because there were “many eyes” that could see them.
He relayed his request to Dayan when he first gave the P2 million De Lima had allegedly asked as “goodwill money.”
“Kung puede sa susunod, puede ko bang makausap si Ma’am Leila?” Espinosa recalled as having told Dayan.
“Magschedule tayo,” Dayan allegedly said. “Di tayo puedeng magkita sa Maynila kasi maraming mga mata.”
Before this, Dayan had sought Espinosa, allegedly upon instruction from De Lima as she was sourcing funds for he senatorial bid.
Dayan said he initially received feelers sometime in AUgust 2015 that a driver-bodyguard of then Justice Secretary Leila de Lima wanted to talk to him.
He said he was able to talk to Dayan who asked him for P2 million monthly. Espinosa said he cannot afford that, and brought down the fee to P700,000 a month.
Dayan allegedly told Espinosa that he would first consult the Justice Secretary about the much lowered amount.
After a few minutes, Dayan told him that De Lima agreed to this P700,000 monthly fee but that the instruction was that Espinosa should give P2 million in “goodwill money.”
“Okay daw yung P700 thousand a month pero magbigay ka raw ng goodwill ng P2 million,” Espinosa said recalling what Dayan told him.
“Sabi ko sa kanya, magbibigay ako pero di sa ngayon, kasi may kalakihan. Nagtext ako after 2 days. Sir nandito na yung pera, buo na, nag-usap na kami kung saan kami magkita,” he said.
He said that he gave the P2 million to Dayan in the agreed meeting place at the Mall of Asia parking lot, specifically at the 4th floor parking.
He said that after this, Dayan again called him up to tell him that upon De Lima’s instructions, Espinosa should give P8 million before the May 2016 elections.
That was when he sought a meeting with De Lima, because of the big amount she was asking.
Espinosa said he was able to deliver the full P8 million to De Lima before the elections.
He said that after he gave the second batch of drug money to Dayan and De Lima in November 2015, he again gave P2.3 million in February 2016 to Dayan for De Lima.
