A panel of prosecutors from the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a Motion for Reconsideration before the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 204 to declare Mamamayang Liberal (ML) party-list representative Leila De Lima guilty in a drug case.
In its 13-page Motion dated July 14, 2025, the panel asked for the court’s reconsideration of its acquittal and to declare De Lima and her former aide Ronnie Dayan guilty as charged.
“The Prosecution humbly prays that the Decision dated 27 June 2025 be reconsidered considering that the subsequent recantation of witness Ragos was not sufficient to vitiate his original testimony voluntarily and solemnly given numerous occasions in congress, senate, media, and the court – under oath, in the presence of a judge, and subjected to extensive cross-examinations, as well as corroborated by several witnesses,” the prosecution’s motion read.
They called on the Court “to set aside a testimony which was solemnly taken before a court of justice in an open and free trial and under conditions precisely sought to discourage and forestall falsehood simply because one of the witnesses who had given testimony later on changed his mind would simply make a mockery of our criminal justice system.”
It can be recalled that the former justice secretary was acquitted after former Bureau of Corrections Chief Rafael Ragos retracted testimonies implicating her in illegal drugs.
De Lima was accused of benefiting from or receiving money from inmates of the New Bilibid Prison that was allegedly used for her campaign when she ran for senator in 2016.
The prosecution claims that the recantation was not sufficient to invalidate the previous testimony.
In a 12-page decision dated April 30, the Court of Appeals (CA) said the Muntinlupa court failed to “substantiate the perception of the alleged insufficiency” of evidence to prove De Lima’s guilt.
