A Muntinlupa court will issue its decision “very very soon” on the petition for bail by former senator Leila de Lima in the last remaining drug case she is facing.
On June 5, De Lima attended a hearing at the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 256, which is handling case 17-167, filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in February 2017, which accused her and others of conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading that allegedly happened during her time as justice secretary.
Former senator Leila de Lima at the Muntinlupa Hall of Justice in May (Juan Carlo De Vela)
It is the only remaining among the three cases filed by the DOJ. Two cases, 17-166 and 17-165, were dismissed by Muntinlupa courts in 2011 and in May this year, respectively.
Under case 17-167, De Lima, former Bureau of Corrections director Franklin Jesus Bucayu, Wilfredo Elli, Jaybee Sebastian (now deceased), Ronnie Dayan, Joenel Sanchez and Jose Adrian Dera were charged for 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.
Lawyer Boni Tacardon, De Lima’s legal counsel, said the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 256 will issue its decision on De Lima’s petition for bail soon.
“No court resolution yet on our petition for bail. According to the Judge, it will be released ‘very very soon,’” he said.
The court was supposed to issue its bail decision last May 8 but deferred it due to an issue in the marking of evidence by government prosecutors.
If the court grants bail, De Lima will be freed from detention. She has been detained at the Philippine National Police detention facility in Camp Crame since February 2017.