Kiko presses raps vs ‘rogue’ gov’t lawyers
Sen. Kiko Pangilinan urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to sanction the panel of prosecutors that appealed to reverse the acquittal of Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima.
The prosecution team filed a motion for reconsideration dated July 14 but withdrew it in another motion dated July 23 after conferring with 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,” Pangilinan said in a statement on Saturday.
“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 in the statement.
A vocal critic of President Rodrigo Duterte, De Lima was jailed in February 2017, facing three cases before the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) over alleged illegal drug trading in the New Bilibid Prison.
The Muntinlupa court dismissed the first case in February 2021, the second in May 2023, and the third in June 2024.
However, in an April 30 ruling, the Court of Appeals remanded the case to the Muntinlupa RTC.
