DoJ to withdraw motion vs De Lima acquittal

The Department of Justice (DoJ) announced Wednesday that it is mulling to withdraw a motion that sought to overturn the acquittal of former Senator Leila de Lima in a drug conspiracy case before the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla disclosed that he had spoken with Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon regarding the decision.

The motion for reconsideration had been filed after a Muntinlupa court issued an amended decision upholding the acquittal of De Lima, who is now a partylist representative.

De Lima lauded Remulla’s decision, saying it brought “sense and order to the unethical actuations” of the prosecutors involved. While she welcomed the withdrawal, she also called for the DoJ to investigate and sanction the prosecutors, alleging they have abused the justice system for years.

“The question remains as to what should be done with these prosecutors who have abused our justice system for far too long?” De Lima said. “I call on the Justice department to properly investigate and sanction them.”

She added that if the prosecutors are “allowed to get away scot-free,” no one is safe and they “should be made to account for what they have done.”

De Lima, a prominent critic of former President Rodrigo Duterte, agreed with Remulla’s assessment that some prosecutors were acting on a “political agenda,” which she said “seriously compromises the DoJ under Remulla’s watch.”