Calling it a “blatant abuse of the justice system,” Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan is asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to look into the possibility of filing administrative and criminal cases against the panel of prosecutors who challenged a lower court’s decision to acquit Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima in her final drug-related case.
Although the Motion for Reconsideration was withdrawn following the intervention of DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, the senator is seeking legal and administrative accountability against the 10-member panel, citing possible violations of ethical standards and constitutional guarantees.
In particular, he pointed out that cases for malicious prosecution and disbarment cases for gross ignorance of the law and unethical conduct violating the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA) may be pursued against the prosecutors.
And should any of the prosecutors seek a role in the judiciary, Pangilinan said the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), wherein he was once ex-officio member for seven years, must question their roles in the filing of the motion and reject their applications if their explanations are unsatisfactory.
The senator also urged that the prosecutors be subjected to an investigation by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) for possibly receiving bribe money.
“This is not only a harassment and a deliberate act of injustice against someone who has already suffered seven years of detention over baseless charges, but it is also a misuse of prosecutorial power and an affront to the judiciary,” Pangilinan said. “We should be prosecuting those who abuse their power, not those who speak truth to power.”
“Where is justice in going after someone who was already cleared by the courts after losing seven years of her life because of lies? Let us uphold the rule of law and prevent the manipulation of the justice system for political ends,” he added.
Filed on July 14, the Motion for Reconsideration asked the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 204 to reconsider its May 2023 resolution acquitting De Lima of charges of drug trading inside the national penitentiary.
The motion was withdrawn on Thursday, July 24, upon the instruction of Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon and following Remulla’s intervention.
Led by Provincial Prosecutor Ramoncito Bienvenido Ocampo Jr., the panel consists of City Prosecutors Blas Tuliao and Laurence Joel Taliping; Deputy City Prosecutors Leilia Llanes, Evangeline Viudez-Canobas and Darwin Cañete; and Senior Assistant City Prosecutors Rudy Ricamora Jr., John Quincy Carandang, Wendell Bendoval, and Alfred Joseph Jamora.