BY JONATHAN HICAP
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DETAINED opposition Senator Leila de Lima has asked the court to allow her to post bail in one of the three drug cases filed against her by the Department of Justice (DoJ).
For the first time after three years in detention, De Lima filed a motion for bail before the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 205, which is hearing Criminal Case No. 17-166 for her alleged conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading during her stint as justice secretary.
The case alleged that in March 2016, De Lima conspired with Jose Adrian Dera to commit illegal drug trading with Dera, demanding ₱3 million and four vehicles from prisoner Peter Co supposedly for her senatorial bid in the May 2016 election.
De Lima has been in detention at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame since her arrest on Feb. 24, 2017.
In her 47-page motion for bail, De Lima emphasized that “instead of proving her guilt, the prosecution itself provided strong evidence of accused De Lima’s innocence and the regularity of the performance of her duties as then Secretary of Justice.”
De Lima said she should be allowed bail as the government prosecution’s evidence on her guilt is not strong. The prosecution said that Dera demanded the money and vehicles from Co on behalf of De Lima.
In the motion, De Lima’s camp said the prosecution “utterly failed to prove the alleged conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading between accused De Lima and Dera.”
The senator said the evidence against her is hearsay as Co only dealt with Dera and admitted that he never met with nor talked to De Lima. Co said he only dealt with Dera.
She told the court that prosecutors did not prove anything that will link her to Co’s transaction with Dera.