Former presidential spokesperson and chief legal counsel Atty. Salvador Panelo criticized the court’s decision to dismiss the final drug case against former senator Leila de Lima, describing it as a “grave error.” Panelo argued that the court’s reliance on recanted testimonies lacked supporting evidence of coercion or threats.
“No such evidence was presented before the court, hence the previous testimonies of the recanting witnesses against De Lima should have not been disregarded,” Panelo stated. He further asserted that there was credible evidence on record that warranted a conviction. “The dismissal of the drug case therefore was in grave error, it being contrary to the evidence and jurisprudence,” he added.
Panelo’s comments came after the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 206 granted De Lima’s demurrer to evidence on Monday, effectively acquitting her of the third and final drug charge due to insufficient proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Alongside De Lima, former Corrections Director Franklin Bucayu, De Lima’s former bodyguard Ronnie Dayan, Joenel Sanchez, and Jad Dera were also acquitted.
De Lima, who had been detained at Camp Crame since February 2017 on drug allegations, was released on bail in November 2023. Her earlier acquittals came in February 2021 and May 2023 when different branches of the Muntinlupa RTC dismissed her other drug-related charges. Additionally, a Quezon City court had previously dismissed two disobedience cases against her.
Panelo, who served under the administration of Rodrigo Duterte, under which De Lima was arrested, contended that her nearly seven-year imprisonment was not an injustice but rather a consequence of her actions against Duterte. He claimed that De Lima, as head of the Commission on Human Rights, had falsely accused Duterte of extrajudicial killings in Davao City, accusations that persisted during her tenure as Justice secretary.
“The former senator should now move on and learn from the lessons of the past,” Panelo remarked.
