SOLICITOR General Menardo Guevarra has said the recent ruling by the Supreme Cour (SC) allowing the temporary release of Gigi Reyes after granting her petition for habeas corpus would not result to a ‘blanket precedent” in cases similarly gathering cobwebs in courts.

Guevarra made the comment when his take was sought on whether detained former senator Leila de Lima, can avail of the same relief from courts.

“I believe the Court’s ruling in this case will have to be applied on a case-to-case basis, depending on the facts of each particular case, and not as a blanket precedent,” Guevarra said.

Acting on a petition for habeas corpus, the SC has ordered the release of Reyes, the former chief of staff of then senator and now Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile, ruling that “her detention was oppressive, infringing upon her right to liberty.”

Reyes, Jessica Lucila G. Reyes in real life, was released at around 6:30 p. m., Thursday, from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) female dormitory in Taguig City.

In 2021, Reyes, who was accused of alleged complicity in the pork barrel scam, petitioned the high court via a petition for habeas corpus, claiming her trial was “unreasonably delayed.”

She stressed that her constitutional right for speedy trial was violated because she was in detention from July 9, 2014.

The Sandiganbayan has ordered her arrest for the crime of plunder, a non-bailable offense in connection with the P172.8-million kickbacks allegedly received from Janet Lim Napoles.

But the SC First Division said that while Reyes’ detention is based on a court order, her prolonged detention, without any progress on the case against her, is considered “vexatious, capricious, and oppressive.”

“If petitioner (Reyes) were to wait for a final judgment before seeking effective relief, then it might be too late for her to genuinely enjoy her liberty. By then, justice delayed would truly be justice denied,” the SC said.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Hector Lawas