The Department of Justice Wednesday debunked allegations in the graft charges filed by detained Senator Leila de Lima before the Office of the Ombudsman against her successors in the DOJ.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra denied the claims of De Lima that inmates in New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City were used as state witnesses in the drug cases against her before the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court.
“As far as I now, no convicted person has been used as a state witness against Sen. de Lima,” Guevarra said, in a text message to reporters when asked for comment on the complaint filed by the senator against him and former secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II.
Guevarra said none of the 13 NBP inmates who testified against De Lima in earlier legislative hearings had been admitted to the Witness Protection Program, contrary to the claim of De Lima.
However, Guevarra said it will not stop the DOJ from using the inmates who earlier tagged De Lima in the drug trade inside the national penitentiary could serve as prosecution witness in her trial before the courts.