SC designates judge to handle De Lima's illegal drugs case
Published Jan 23, 2020 12:00 am
By Rey Panaligan
The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday (Jan. 23) designated Manila City regional trial court (RTC) Judge Grace P. Chavez Ty as presiding judge of Muntinlupa City RTC Branch 256 to take over the illegal drugs case of detained Sen. Leila de Lima.
Supreme Court (SC) (MANILA BULLETIN)
In an administrative order, Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta said the designation of Judge Ty “is full time, effective immediately, and to continue until the appointment and assumption of judicial functions of the regular judge thereat, or until further orders from this Court, but in no case beyond six months from the date of approval, subject however to renewal if circumstances warrant.”
The order also “revokes the designation of Judge Ty as acting presiding judge of Branch 44, RTC, Manila….”
Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez, whose office supervises for the SC all lower courts in the country, released the order to journalists covering the SC.
Earlier, De Lima had asked the SC to assign a new judge to one of the three criminal cases pending against her before the Muntinlupa City RTC in her move to speed up the proceedings.
In a letter sent to Marquez, De Lima said a new judge should be assigned to Branch 256 of Muntinlupa City RTC because the judge who took over had inhibited twice.
“Pursuant to OCA (Office of the Court Administrator) Circular No. 213-2019 dated 11 November 2019, Judge Gener Gito, the acting presiding judge for RTC Muntinlupa Branch 256, was relieved of his designation, and has been temporarily replaced by Judge Antonietta Medina of RTC Muntinlupa Branch 276 who will be acting as the pairing judge,” De Lima said.
But De Lima told Marquez that “Judge Medina has already inhibited twice from one of my other pending RTC cases. My counsels and I have recently been informed that she will not be conducting any hearings for Criminal Case No. 17-167.”
Marquez clarified that “we were actually processing her (Judge Ty’s) designation when I was informed of Senator De Lima’s letter.”
In her criminal case pending with Branch 256, De Lima was charged together with her nephew Jose Adrian Dera, former Bureau of Correction (BuCor) Director General Franklin Bucayu, alleged bagman Wilfredo Elli, her former aide Joenel Sanchez, her former driver Ronnie Dayan, and New Bilibid Prison (NBP) inmate Jaybee Sebastian.
De Lima has two other criminal cases pending with two other branches of the Muntinlupa RTC, also on charges involving illegal drugs.
The charges were filed by the Department of Justice on complaints lodged by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), former NBI deputy directors Reynaldo Esmeralda and Ruel Lasala, and inmate Sebastian.
The charges alleged that De Lima conspired with her co-accused in trading drugs inside the NBP to allegedly raise funds for her 2016 senatorial bid.
Supreme Court (SC) (MANILA BULLETIN)
In an administrative order, Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta said the designation of Judge Ty “is full time, effective immediately, and to continue until the appointment and assumption of judicial functions of the regular judge thereat, or until further orders from this Court, but in no case beyond six months from the date of approval, subject however to renewal if circumstances warrant.”
The order also “revokes the designation of Judge Ty as acting presiding judge of Branch 44, RTC, Manila….”
Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez, whose office supervises for the SC all lower courts in the country, released the order to journalists covering the SC.
Earlier, De Lima had asked the SC to assign a new judge to one of the three criminal cases pending against her before the Muntinlupa City RTC in her move to speed up the proceedings.
In a letter sent to Marquez, De Lima said a new judge should be assigned to Branch 256 of Muntinlupa City RTC because the judge who took over had inhibited twice.
“Pursuant to OCA (Office of the Court Administrator) Circular No. 213-2019 dated 11 November 2019, Judge Gener Gito, the acting presiding judge for RTC Muntinlupa Branch 256, was relieved of his designation, and has been temporarily replaced by Judge Antonietta Medina of RTC Muntinlupa Branch 276 who will be acting as the pairing judge,” De Lima said.
But De Lima told Marquez that “Judge Medina has already inhibited twice from one of my other pending RTC cases. My counsels and I have recently been informed that she will not be conducting any hearings for Criminal Case No. 17-167.”
Marquez clarified that “we were actually processing her (Judge Ty’s) designation when I was informed of Senator De Lima’s letter.”
In her criminal case pending with Branch 256, De Lima was charged together with her nephew Jose Adrian Dera, former Bureau of Correction (BuCor) Director General Franklin Bucayu, alleged bagman Wilfredo Elli, her former aide Joenel Sanchez, her former driver Ronnie Dayan, and New Bilibid Prison (NBP) inmate Jaybee Sebastian.
De Lima has two other criminal cases pending with two other branches of the Muntinlupa RTC, also on charges involving illegal drugs.
The charges were filed by the Department of Justice on complaints lodged by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), former NBI deputy directors Reynaldo Esmeralda and Ruel Lasala, and inmate Sebastian.
The charges alleged that De Lima conspired with her co-accused in trading drugs inside the NBP to allegedly raise funds for her 2016 senatorial bid.