THE evidences against Senator Leila de Lima is sufficient to implicate her in the narcotics sale inside the New Bilibid Prison, even without the testimonies of her alleged cohorts Ronnie Dayan and Kerwin Espinosa, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said on Wednesday.
“Actually, even without [Ronnie] Dayan’s testimony, even without Kerwin [Espinosa’s] testimony, [the evidence against de Lima] is sufficient. It is already excessive when it comes to testimonial evidence,” the Justice Secretary said.
“I think it is very strong, especially now that Senator de Lima admitted her relationship – her illicit relationship with Ronnie Dayan. It has drastic effect,” he added.
On Monday, de Lima admitted that because of “frailties of a woman,” she had had an affair with Dayan that lasted a few years.
Tagged as de Lima’s bagman, Dayan refused to cooperate with the government and instead stowed away. To know Dayan’s whereabouts, a group of private individuals has raised the reward to P1 million.
Aguirre said the P1-million bounty against Dayan is “not overkill” but a “community effort” to help the government find a probable cause against the senator.
Aguirre also remained hopeful that Dayan, who he said is being protected by some high public officials, would eventually surface because he is a key person who could profess the proliferation of drugs in the New Bilibid Prison.
“We did everything but apparently, we weren't successful in doing so. We were told that Ronnie Dayan is being protected by some high public officials in his home province of Pangasinan and other northern provinces up to Baguio. He is hiding there, moving from. He is moving from different places,” Aguirre said.
As for Espinosa, Aguirre said the National Bureau of Investigation is now coordinating with the Philippine National Police to ensure the alleged drug lord's security. Espinosa, who is scheduled to return to the Philippines on Thursday, is expected to tell everything he knows about De Lima's alleged drug connections.
While Aguirre said there are strong grounds against De Lima, the government is still welcoming further details about the senator’s participation in the illegal drug trade inside the national penitentiary.
“Considering that we are strengthening the case, just like what I said before that he would want to file an airtight case, every single additional evidence, we welcome it,” he said. (Sunnex)
