Court affirms acquittal of Leila De Lima, Ronnie Dayan in drug case

The acquittal of former senator and ML Partylist representative-elect Leila de Lima and her co-accused Ronnie Dayan of drug trading charges was reaffirmed by a Muntinlupa court, reversing an earlier decision by the Court of Appeals.

Prosecutors, according to the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 204, failed to establish the defendants' guilt beyond reasonable doubt, particularly after the recantation of key witness Rafael Ragos, a former Bureau of Corrections official.

This marked the second acquittal for de Lima and Dayan in the case. In 2023, the same court initially cleared them, but the Court of Appeals Eighth Division nullified that decision in May 2025. The appellate court found the trial court improperly relied on Ragos' recantation without sufficient scrutiny and ordered a fresh review of the case.

Originally, Ragos testified that he delivered P10 million in drug money from New Bilibid Prison inmates to de Lima in 2012, but later withdrew his statement, claiming he was coerced into giving false testimony.

The local court in its ruling maintained that without Ragos' testimony, the prosecution's case lacked sufficient evidence to prove conspiracy between the defendants and inmates involved in prison drug trafficking.

De Lima, a prominent critic of former president Rodrigo Duterte's drug war, was detained for nearly seven years before being granted bail in 2023. She has consistently denied the charges, calling them politically motivated.

The Department of Justice has not yet indicated whether it will appeal the latest acquittal. Legal experts note that further appeals would face significant hurdles given the trial court's repeated findings on insufficient evidence.

De Lima’s charges stemmed from allegations that she, as then-Justice secretary, benefited from drug trade operations inside the national penitentiary during her 2016 Senate campaign.