DOJ hands off on De Lima’s call to probe Aguirre, Guevarra

The Department of Justice on Friday said it respected former Senator Leila De Lima's rights to call for investigating former Justice Secretaries Vitaliano Aguirre II and Menardo Guevarra.

The DOJ made the statement to Palace reporters after de Lima called for a "full investigation" of Aguirre and Guevarra after the Court of Appeals found that the Ombudsman dismissed her criminal and administrative complaints without due process.

When asked about De Lima's appeal for an inquiry, Justice spokesperson Jose Dominic "Mico" Clavano IV underscored the importance of respecting De Lima's rights to call to investigate without any interference.

Clavano emphasized that the justice system had previously functioned in her favor and expressed confidence that it would work again if she pursued such measures.

"You know, she has her rights, and we're not going to interfere. She's at liberty to do what she wants. So, you know, the justice system worked for her, and I believe it will work again," Clavano told the Palace reporters in a chance interview.

"That's always been our stance. We have a working justice system. So if she does things that are well within her rights, who are we to stop [her]?" Clavano added.

He acknowledged the contrasting perspectives presented by both sides—the allegations made by De Lima and the assertions of no irregularities by the former Justice Secretaries.

"There are always two sides to the same coin," Clavano sid. "She may have her claims. But on the other side, the former Justice Secretaries have also had their stance on the issue. They claim there's no irregularity; on the other side, there's a claim of irregularity, so we'll just have to leave it to the proper forums."

De Lima called for a full probe after the CA granted her petition against the Ombudsman's decision to dismiss the charges against former DOJ officials in 2019 over grave misconduct, graft and gross neglect of duty.

The court said there was no good reason to deny the investigation into the administrative charges De Lima, who also used to be the Justice Secretary, brought against the DOJ for alleged illegal admission of 11 felons to the Witness Protection Program.

De Lima had pointed out that the law says people who have been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude cannot join the WPP.

The criminals' statements led to drug-related complaints being made against the former lawmaker. This led to her arrest and detention for more than six years.

In 2021, one of De Lima's three drug charges was thrown out by a court in Muntinlupa. After a year, she was found not guilty of a second drug charge.

De Lima got out of jail on 13 November after posting bail for her remaining drug case.