Former Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II on Wednesday, May 4, denied allegations that he coerced former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Deputy Director for Intelligence Rafael Marcos Z. Ragos to testify against detained Senator Leila M. De Lima.
“Mr. Rafael Ragos is downright lying!” declared Aguirre in a statement.
“Contrary to his claim, I was never involved in coercing him to make statements involving Senator Leila De Lima in the drug trade in the Bilibid Prison,” he stressed.
He pointed out that “it is a time-honored rule that RETRACTIONS ARE UNRELIABLE UNLESS BACKED UP BY INCONTROVERTIBLE EVIDENCE.”
“As it is, devoid of any reliable back-up, the statement of Mr. Ragos is a worthless piece of paper,” he stressed.
Aguirre issued the statement after Ragos, who was also a former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officer-in-charge, released last April 30 an affidavit that recanted his testimonies against De Lima, including the delivery of drug money from Peter Co, a drug lord and convicted inmate of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.
De Lima, who is currently detained at the Custodial Center of the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City, is facing drug charges before the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) over her alleged involvement in the proliferation of the narcotics trading at the Bilibid.
One of De Lima’s three criminal cases has been dismissed. Still pending resolution by the RTC are two cases. Ragos testified in one of the two cases.
In his April 30 affidavit, Ragos said “there is no truth whatsoever to any of these affidavits or House and court testimonies or any other statement made in the media or other investigatory proceedings, including the Senate and the DOJ, on the delivery of monies to Sec. De Lima or Ronnie Dayan in whatever.”
He also claimed in his recantation that Aguirre “coerced me to admit something that did not happen.”
But Aguirre said: “Mr. Ragos has always made it clear to me that his statements are true and he was voluntarily offering them to us to correct an injustice and to tell the truth.”
He recounted that Ragos testified before the House of Representatives in 2016, before the Senate, and, in 2019, during the trial before the Muntinlupa City RTC.
“It should be remembered that I left the Department of Justice on April 5, 2018 long before his 2019 testimony before the Muntinlupa RTC. Evidently, whatever pressure that Mr. Ragos claimed I exerted on him is non-existent by the time of his testimony before the RTC,” Aguirre pointed out.
“Likewise, Mr. Ragos had about five (5) case conferences with the DOJ Prosecutors handling the case before his testimony before the Muntinlupa RTC and there was no mention of coercion or retraction,” he added.
He also pointed out that “Jovencio Ablen Jr., the NBI agent implicated by Mr. Ragos as being involved in the drug trade in the Bilibid prisons, has maintained his allegations against Senator De Lima.”
He then questioned the timing of Ragos’ recantation of his testimonies with the May 9 national elections a few days away and De Lima lagging in the surveys as she seeks reelection.
“As to the motives of Mr. Ragos, we can only surmise. However, I know for a fact that he was asking for payment of back pay during the time that he was not receiving his regular pay but he did not receive any,” Aguirre said.
“It also came to my knowledge that Mr. Ragos was asking to be appointed to some government post but he was ignored. Clearly, Mr. Ragos is a man with a grudge.,” he added.
Aside from Ragos, self-confessed drug lord Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa had also retracted his testimonies against De Lima.
The DOJ said the recanted testimonies will not affect the cases filed against De Lima.
It also said that perjury charges may be filed against Ragos and Espinosa.