JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said he does not have the knowledge on when Senator Leila de Lima and several others involved in the anomalies in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) will be summoned by the five-man panel of prosecutors leading the probe on the four cases filed against her.
According to Aguirre, he will not meddle in the decision of the team led by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Ong.
"Actually after ng department order na kinoconsolidate ko yung apat na cases laban sa kaniya, 'di ko na pinakialaman yung 5-man committee kasi baka sabihin ni de Lima na minamanipulate ko yung committee," Aguirre said.
The Justice Secretary assured the Senator and the public that the panel has independence, and it will summon de Lima once it's ready to begin the probe.
"May independence yung limang yun at dun na nila itanong kung kailan iiissue yung subpoena...Wag sa akin, I could not. Di ko maaaring bantayan ang bawat gagawin nila," he said.
Last October, the Department of Justice (DOJ) had formed a panel of prosecutors to handle the graft and drug trafficking complaints filed against de Lima, who was accused of using her position as then Justice Secretary to proliferate the illegal drug trade in the national penitentiary.
Joining Ong are Senior Assistant City Prosecutors Alexander Ramos, Leila Llanes and Evangeline Viudez-Canobas and Assistant State Prosecutor Editha Fernandez.
Pending before the five-man committee are the complaints filed by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Deputy Directors, Bilibid high-profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian, and the NBI itself, who led the fact-finding probe against de Lima.
Apart from the Senator, also charged were the following: former DOJ Undersecretary Fransico Baraan and his Secretary Jesusa Fransisco; former Bureau of Correction (Bucor) Director Franklin Bucayu; former Bucor officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos; former NBI Intelligence agent Jovencio Ablen Jr.; former Bucor superintendent Wilfredo Elli; de Lima's former security aides Ronnie Dayan and Joenel Sanchez; her personal assistant Lyn Sagum; Jose Adrian Dera alias Jad De Vera; and two others individuals whose identities are still under verification: Julius Rejuso and alias "George."
The inmates who testified against de Lima during the House probe in proliferation of illegal drugs in NBP namely Jaybee Sebastian, Herbert Colanggo, Engelbert Durano, Vicente Sy, Peter Co and Jojo Baligad were also included as respondents in the complaint for their alleged violation of the anti-drugs law.
Last Friday, Aguirre had ordered the four cases to be consolidated, since according to him, all complaints raised similar issues.
After the preliminary investigation, the DOJ will forward its findings to the Office of the Ombudsman, the agency mandated to investigate and prosecute government officials. (Sunnex)
