An alleged ‘‘nephew’’ and former aide of detained Senator Leila de Lima was arrested by National Bureau of Investigation operatives after two years in hiding.
Jose Adrian Dera, De Lima’s co-accused in two drug cases who were charged for allegedly conspiring with the senator to sell illegal drugs inside the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa, was arrested in his house in Pampanga province, according to his lawyer Raymund Palad.
Two Bilibid inmates—Hans Tan and Peter Co—also accused Dera of orchestrating the arrest of the latter’s niece on drug charges and demanding millions of pesos and vehicles in exchange for her release.
De Lima, however, denied that she knew Dera.
“He is not a nephew or a relative of mine of any degree. He has not worked for me as an aide or in any capacity,” she said in a statement.
De Lima, a a fierce critic of President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-narcotics drive, has been detained at the national police headquarters in Quezon City since February 2017 over drug accusations which she said were part of political persecution.
“May I repeat this for the nth time—I did not demand, solicit, more so receive, directly or indirectly any drug money or any dirty / illegal money from anyone,” said De Lima.
Dera will be brought to the NBI headquarters in Manila for further investigation.
De Lima is not entitled to bail and if found guilty, faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.