After 17 months in detention for drug-related charges, opposition Sen. Leila de Lima was finally arraigned yesterday by a Muntinlupa City regional trial court (RTC).

In explaining her refusal to enter a plea, De Lima reiterated her claim before Judge Lorna Navarro-Domingo of Muntinlupa City RTC Branch 206 that the charges against her were fabricated.

“I do not recognize the legitimacy and the validity of the charges against me,” De Lima said. “Now, there are two other cases pending before the other court, this case is completely fabricated and bogus from orchestrated lies.”

“I refuse to enter a plea. I do not recognize these charges,” she added.

De Lima maintained the charges against her are based on manufactured evidence and perjured testimonies of convicted inmates.

With her refusal, the court entered a “not guilty” plea on her behalf.

De Lima has been detained at the Philippine National Police-Custodial Center in Camp Crame since February 2017.

The senator was tagged in the proliferation of illegal drugs at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) during her time as justice secretary.

She was accused during a Senate hearing of receiving cash from convicted drug lords through her alleged aide-lover Ronnie Dayan.

Many of the personalities tagged with De Lima during congressional investigations on the control of the drug trade by NBP inmates have already been indicted by Department of Justice (DoJ) prosecutors.

Just this week, the DoJ charged Kerwin Espinosa, inmate Peter Co and three others with violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

That ruling scrapped an earlier dismissal of the drug charges against Espinosa and his co-accused. Another suspect in the drug case, Peter Lim, has run to the Supreme Court.

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