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2 state witnesses bothered by conscience to recant testimonies vs De Lima

Published Oct 16, 2023 10:04 am

Two inmates who are state witnesses have declared that they will recant their testimonies against former senator Leila de Lima. 

De Lima is facing the last remaining drug case filed by the Department of Justice in 2017 in a Muntinlupa court. 

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Former senator Leila de Lima at the Muntinlupa Hall of Justice on Oct. 16 (Contributed photo) 

Case 17-167, pending before Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206, accused De Lima, former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director Franklin Jesus Bucayu, Ronnie Dayan, Joenel Sanchez and Jose Adrian Dera of conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading. 

The DOJ charged that between March 2013 to May 2015, the accused used inmates at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa to sell and trade dangerous drugs using mobile phones and other electronic devices, and allegedly got the proceeds amounting to P70 million.

In a letter to De Lima and Bucayu, state witnesses Rodolfo Magleo and Nonilo Arile, both persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), said they will recant their testimonies “for several reasons with the primordial objective – to help you both to be set free together with your fellow co-accused in the last case at the sala of Hon. Judge Gito of Muntinlupa City RTC Br. 206.”

“We both planned to recant as early as 2018 but due to impossibility of communication, we were not able to do so. We are bothered by our conscience. We do not want you to be victims of mistrial. We will reveal in due time. We are assuring you all that the last case will be dismissed,” Magleo and Arile said. 

The two are serving their sentence in the Bureau of Corrections’ Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro. 

De Lima attended a hearing on Oct. 16 at the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 206. Magleo was scheduled to testify. But before this, he handed the letter to De Lima. As a result, the prosecution no longer presented him as a witness during the hearing. 

They asked De Lima and Bucayu to send their lawyers and emissaries as soon as possible “for us to talk on all legal aspects of our recantation.” 

Magleo and Arile revealed that five more state witnesses against De Lima and her co-accused “will follow after our recantation, whom we had convinced to do so.” 

Boni Tacardon, De Lima’s legal counsel, urged other witnesses to come out and tell the truth. 

“Kahit sila naniniwala na walang kasalanan si Senator Leila de Lima at dapat siyang palayain (They also believe that Senator Leila de Lima is innocent and she should be freed),” said Tacardon. 

De Lima has been in detention for more than six years. 

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A copy of the letter of state witnesses Rodolfo Magleo and Nonilo Arile (De Lima camp) 

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