SENATOR Leila de Lima described on Monday, October 10, the testimony of witness Jaybee Sebastian against her as "lies," adding that the convicted kidnapper was pressured by Malacañang to testify against her.
De Lima said that Sebastian's assertion during a congressional inquiry into the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison that she and her then security aide, Joenel Sanchez, were in a relationship was a lie.
The former Justice secretary denied that she used Sebastian, a high profile inmate at the Bilibid's maximum security, as one of her assets.
According to her, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission Executive Director Reginald Villasanta and former Bureau of Correction chief Franklin Bucayu presented Sebastian to her to be an asset of the government.
De Lima said the testimony of Sebastian linking her to the alleged drug operations inside the NBP is just part of the demolition job against her that has the blessings of President Rodrigo Duterte.
De Lima said all the accusations against her by Duterte are clearly "vendetta" for her filing of resolution seeking Senate probe into the rampant killings of suspected drug offenders.
The senator added that the recent admission of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II that the government has yet to come up with an airtight case against her only goes to prove that there was no sufficient to pin her on the Bilibid drug trade. (Sunnex)