A Muntinlupa court has ordered government prosecutors to submit 61 pieces of evidence and documents related to the last remaining drug case of former senator Leila de Lima.
The Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 206 held a hearing on case 17-167, which 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.
Former senator Leila de Lima (Noel Pabalate)
The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed the case in February 2017 under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The case 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.
De Lima and the other accused are out on P300,000 bail each.
In an order dated Jan. 29, Presiding Judge Gener Gito ordered government prosecutors to submit the pieces of evidence in the case.
“The prosecution has already filed its formal offer of evidence. However, the Court perused the prosecution's formal offer of evidence and it noticed that there are several documents indicated in the formal offer which are not attached to the formal offer of evidence,” the judge said in the order.
He added, “Prosecution likewise did not indicate the record where those documents can be located. In view thereof, the prosecution is required to submit within five (5) days from today the…documents.”
The documents the prosecution needs to submit to the court include the sworn statement of witness Joel Capones, letters, affidavits, bank account information and photos.
“The Court will rule on the formal offer of evidence by the prosecution after it shall have received the documents being required to be submitted by the Court,” the court said in the order.
In addition, the court also set the initial presentation of evidence of the defense in the case on March 11.