A Muntinlupa court was ordered to finish the trial in the last remaining drug case of former senator Leila de Lima in nine months.
The Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 256 is hearing case 17-167, which charged De Lima, Franklin Jesus Bucayu, Ronnie Dayan, Joenel Sanchez, Jose Adrian Dera, Wilfredo Elli and Jaybee Sebastian (now deceased) of conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading.
Former senator Leila de Lima leaves the Muntinlupa Hall of Justice after a hearing in May (Juan Carlo De Vela)
The Department of Justice (DOJ), under the Duterte administration, filed three cases of illegal drug trading including 17-167 against De Lima and others in February 2017. The DOJ later changed the charges to conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading.
Two of the cases were dismissed by Muntinlupa courts in 2021 and in May this year. Case 17-167 is the last remaining drug case and has been pending for more than six years.
De Lima has been in detention in Camp Crame for more than six years since her surrender to authorities on Feb. 24, 2017 after a Muntinlupa court issued a warrant of arrest for another drug case.
The Muntinlupa RTC Branch 256 recently denied De Lima and her co-accused’s petitions and motions for bail.
In an order, the Office of the Court Administrator under the Supreme Court directed Presiding Judge Romeo Buenaventura of the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 256 to make a decision in the case within nine months as it noted that the case remained unresolved for six years.
Because of the order, the Muntinlupa court directed government prosecutors to complete and end their presentation of evidence on June 5, 9 and 26.
De Lima and her legal counsel, Boni Tacardon, said they will file a motion for reconsideration to appeal the court’s denial of the petition for bail. Tacardon said they will file it next week.
Case 17-167 alleged that between March 2013 to May 2015, De Lima and her co-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.