黑料社

De Lima questions Muntinlupa RTC鈥檚 jurisdiction on drug raps

Sen. Leila de Lima on Monday said she was hoping that the judge assigned to drug-related cases against her would take time to study the motions set to be filed by her legal team, which question the jurisdiction of the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC) over the said cases.

In an ambush interview hours after the drug cases against her had been raffled off to Muntinlupa RTC branches 204, 205, and 206, De Lima maintained that the Office of the Ombudsman and not the RTC has the jurisdiction over the charges.

鈥淯maasa po ako na pag-aaralan nang husto ng mga judges 鈥榶ung mga grounds na ire-raise ng aking mga abogado at in the meantime ay huwag muna silang mag-issue ng warrant of arrest, i-suspend muna dapat muna nila pending 鈥榶ung mga issues na ire-raise ng aking mga abogado,鈥 De Lima told reporters.

搁贰础顿:听De Lima asks court to quash drugs raps

鈥淎ng principal issue nga po na nire-raise dito ay jurisdictional dahil dapat idiniretso ito sa Ombudsman. Malinaw po na pinilit lang po 鈥榶an gawin na i-file sa RTC. Alam naman po nila 鈥榶an na mali, may depekto, hindi tama, procedurally wrong based on existing law and jurisprudence na i-file sya sa RTC,鈥 she said.

De Lima is facing nonbailable drug charges filed by the Department of Justice for violation of the Dangerous Drugs Acts for her alleged involvement in the Bilibid drug trade. She had repeatedly dismissed the charges as false and railroaded.

Following Monday鈥檚 raffle, records of the charges will be forwarded to the courts to determine if there is probable cause to issue an arrest warrant. Depending on the appreciation of the assigned branch of the case merits, an arrest warrant can be issued immediately or within a period of ten days.

搁贰础顿:听Drug cases vs De Lima raffled off to 3 Muntinlupa RTC branches

But noting that the perpetrators of the case went down the stretch to make sure that it will progress in the RTC, De Lima lamented that the charges should have not qualified as under conspiracy and nonbailable.

鈥淢ay mga nakalagay doon na taking advantage of position, using influence and power of my office and having moral ascendency over the drug convicts. If that is the case, then clearly, 鈥榶ung pinaparatang nila sa akin na nakipagkuntsabahan sa mga drug convicts are in relation to my office then as SOJ. Sigurado po ako diyan na pinilit lang nila 鈥榶ang mapunta sa regular courts. It鈥檚 such a stretch na ginawang non-bailable 鈥榶ung mga kaso na 鈥榶an,鈥 she said.

鈥淗indi po dapat papasok 鈥榶an sa tinatawag nilang conspiracy. It鈥檚 such a strectch kasi 鈥榶un nga po ang balak, gawing nonbailable at makakuha agad ng warrant of arrest,鈥 De Lima added. JE/rga

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