FORMER senator Leila de Lima’s legal team is preparing to file a motion for reconsideration after a Muntinlupa court recently denied her request for bail on charges related to illegal drugs.

According to Atty. Boni Tacordan, de Lima’s counsel, plans to challenge the credibility of the prosecution’s witnesses in their upcoming motion, which will be filed no later than Tuesday.

Tacordan also mentioned the possibility of filing a demurrer to evidence once the prosecution completes presenting its case against the detained former legislator.

In a 35-page order issued on June 7, Judge Romeo Buenaventura of Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 256 stated that the court did not consider de Lima’s recent hostage-taking experience as “injurious to health” or a threat to her life, unlike in other bail cases. The court regarded it as an isolated incident.

Buenaventura, however, clarified that determining the strength of the evidence does not pre-judge the final outcome of the case. The accused’s guilt or innocence will be based on all the evidence presented by both parties and will only be decided after a full trial on the merits.

The charges against de Lima were filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ), accusing her of involvement in the illegal drug trade during her tenure as justice secretary under the Aquino administration. She is currently held at the Philippine National Police – Custodial Center.

Although de Lima was cleared of illegal drug charges during her time as justice secretary under the Aquino administration by Branch 204 of the Muntinlupa RTC, she is still entangled in a separate case before Branch 256 where her bail application is pending.

De Lima, along with former Bureau of Corrections chief Franklin Jesus Bucayu and her nephew Jose Adrian Dera, faces allegations of conspiring to engage in illegal drug trading within the New Bilibid Prison, as stated in the case before Branch 256.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Hector Lawas