Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Thursday debunked insinuations that the seven inmates who testified against former senator Leila de Lima in her illegal drugs case are under threats due to their reported plans to recant their testimonies.
“I do not believe it,” Remulla said in a media briefing.
Remulla’s doubts were raised after learning that the seven prisoners, all of whom are currently detained at the maximum security facility of the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm (SPPF) in Occidental Mindoro, have sought the help of De Lima to ask the court to return them to the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City due to threats against them and their families.
“That is always the recourse of people who just want to have an easier way inside prison,” Remulla said on the reported plans of inmates German L. Agojo, Tomas B. Donina, Jaime V. Patcho, Wu Tuan Yuan who is also known as Peter Co, Engelberto Durano, Jerry R. Pepino, and Hans Anton Tan. Remulla said Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. would know if any of these persons deprived of liberties are under any threat.
He recalled that last September he ordered the investigation of a fake memorandum circular that bore his fake signature that ordered to have 12 inmates of the SPPF returned to the Bilibid, including Agojo and six others. On the recantation of testimonies, Remulla said that “the courts are always reminded by the Supreme Court that recantations are frowned upon….”
Earlier, De Lima had filed a motion asking the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 201 to return the seven inmates to Bilibid after verifying that they were the ones who wrote to her seeking her assistance.
“They have to submit that to Director General Catapang. It is not for the Department of Justice to determine that matter. So depende ‘yan sa Bureau of Corrections kung ito ang maging desisyon ng Bureau of Corrections (So their return to Bilibid will depend on the BuCor),” Remulla said.
De Lima has one remaining drug case pending before the RTC after being acquitted in two other cases.
She had been granted bail on the remaining case and had been released from detention. Under Criminal Case No. 17-167 pending before Judge Gener M. Gito of Muntinlupa City RTC Branch 206, De Lima and her co-accused allegedly received P70 million in illegal drug earnings collected by narcotics traders imprisoned at Bilibid.
