Detained opposition Senator Leila de Lima on Tuesday, June 14 slammed drug lord Herbert Colanggo for claiming he is being pressured to stop from testifying by her camp, saying all of his recent statements is “part of his stellar performance to grab the limelight from his fellow convicts as the real star witness” in the drug charges against her.
“That is the problem when the government allows a charlatan convicted criminal like Herbert Colanggo an interview with the media. There is no limit to the fairy tales he will invent and the lies he will tell,” de Lima said in a statement.
Colanggo, in a televised interview, said he would not recant his testimonies against de Lima even after several key witnesses in her cases have withdrawn their statements. He also claimed about a group approaching witnesses to weaken the case against the senator.
“I have no ill feelings towards the convicted criminals who were coerced or bribed to falsely testify against me. But when this is done with relish and gusto, like how Herbert Colanggo seems to enjoy the spotlight, whether when speaking to the media or on the witness stand, then that is another matter altogether,” the former justice secretary said.
“Colanggo is actually savouring every moment of his role in this charade, while showing his handlers that his performance is worth every bribe and privilege that they promised him,” she added.
At the same time, de Lima expressed her disappointment at the Department of Justice (DOJ) which is all set to pursue her prosecution even after the series of witnesses have recanted their testimonies against the lawmaker.
Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo Guevarra had reportedly stated that the panel of prosecutors in the senator’s cases have advised him that “there is good reason to continue the active prosecution of the senator” after a thorough review of the evidence that were presented.
“If the review was done by the same DOJ Panel of Prosecutors whom (ex-Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Rafael) Ragos said were perfectly aware that his testimony was just manufactured and all lies, then the review is worthless,” she said.
“The review should be undertaken by prosecutors who are not tainted by Ragos's accusation of participating in the manufacture of evidence,” she lamented.
Apart from Ragos, witnesses who backtracked from their earlier statements against de Lima were self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, de Lima’s co-accused and former aide, Ronnie Dayan, and Marcelo Adorco, a former government witness against Espinosa.
Adorco reportedly recanted his allegations against de Lima in a counter-affidavit with the DOJ since August 28, 2020. In his recantation, he stated he had no personal knowledge about the alelged meeting of de Lima and Espinosa in Baguio City.