A PHILIPPINE trial court on Monday ordered the release on bail of a former senator who was jailed in 2017 on drug trafficking charges that she said were fabricated to muzzle her investigation of then-President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s deadly war on drugs.
In a 69-page order, a copy of which was given to reporters by the defense, Muntinlupa Judge Gener M. Gito reversed an earlier decision and granted ex-Senator Leila M. De Lima’s request for bail while being tried in a final drug case.
Ms. De Lima “should be allowed to post bail as the prosecution was not able to discharge its burden of establishing that the guilt of the said accused is strong,” the judge said in the order dated Nov. 10.
“Finally, I will be freed,” Ms. De Lima, 64, told reporters in Filipino as police led her out of a Muntinlupa courtroom where the judge had ordered her release. “For years, my whole being has been crying out for justice and freedom.”
She said it was very painful for her to be wrongfully jailed and that she does not want that to happen to anyone else. “This is a moment of triumphant thanksgiving.”
Ms. De Lima faced various charges in 2017 within months of launching a Senate inquiry into Mr. Duterte’s anti-illegal drug campaign, in which thousands of drug users and dealers were killed in police drug raids.
She incurred Mr. Duterte’s ire when, as chairwoman of the Commission on Human Rights, she started a probe in 2009 into extrajudicial killings by the so-called Davao Death Squad in the tough-talking leader’s hometown, where he was the long-time mayor. Mr. Duterte later vowed to “destroy” her.
Mr. Duterte’s drug war is now being investigated by the International Criminal Court for possible “crimes against humanity.”
Mr. Duterte, whose term ended in 2022, accused her of colluding with drug syndicates while she was Justice secretary, which led to charges of conspiracy to trade narcotics.
Two of the three cases against Ms. De Lima have been dismissed and she had sought bail in the one pending case on health grounds.
Ms. De Lima has insisted the charges against her were baseless and politically motivated.
The former senator was expected to walk out of prison later on Monday after paying bail of P300,000.
Human rights groups have accused Mr. Duterte of inciting deadly violence and said police murdered unarmed drug suspects and staged crime scenes on a massive scale during the campaign against illegal drugs.
Police always denied that, and Mr. Duterte had said police were under orders to kill only in self-defense.
Ms. De Lima is being tried in a third and last drug trafficking case. Her first drug case was dismissed in 2021 and the Ombudsman cleared her of bribery charges for lack of evidence last year.
‘ECHOES OF JUSTICE’
Another Muntinlupa trial court in May acquitted Ms. De Lima and her former aide in the second drug trafficking case. The court said the recantation by a former prison director who had testified against her created reasonable doubt.
European Union Ambassador to the Philippines Luc Veron said Ms. De Lima’s release is a “significant step for rule of law in the Philippines.” It’s a “positive turn in the pursuit of justice. I hope that resolution of the remaining charges will be accelerated,” he posted on X.
The European Union Parliament, some US lawmakers and United Nations human rights experts have long demanded the release of Ms. De Lima, who was detained as an opposition senator in February 2017 in what they say was political persecution by Mr. Duterte and his allies.
Former Vice-President Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo said the court decision showed the drug allegations against Ms. De Lima have no basis.
Akbayan President Rafaela David said the ex-senator’s anticipated release “is not merely the unlocking of a prison cell but the opening of a gateway to renewed hope, where the echoes of justice resonate beyond the confines of imprisonment, reverberating through our country’s collective conscience.”
While justice has prevailed, “the pursuit of truth, justice and accountability continues,” she said, adding that Mr. Duterte and his minions “must face the consequences of their actions” for jailing Ms. De Lima.
Human Rights Watch welcomed the bail ruling.
“She never should have been unjustly prosecuted and detained by former President Rodrigo Duterte,” deputy Asia director Bryony Lau said in a statement.
She said the Duterte government had “concocted evidence and used the machinery of an abusive state to punish her for performing her duties as a senator and speaking out against the war on drugs.”
Senator Ana Theresia “Risa” N. Hontiveros-Baraquel said Mr. Duterte had targeted Ms. De Lima to serve as a warning to his critics. “That is evidence of the impunity that prevailed in the past years and even up to today,” she told a news briefing in Filipino.
Senator Mary Grace S. Poe-Llamanzares said seven years of being in jail is long and arduous. “Rich or poor, it is unjust to remain in prison for a long time due to the slow process of the law,” she said in a statement in mixed English and Filipino.
Political experts have said Ms. De Lima’s detention showed how the government had abused the justice system.
At least 6,117 suspected drug dealers were killed in police operations, according to data released by the Philippine government in June 2021. Human rights groups estimate that as many as 30,000 suspects died. — Norman P. Aquino and Jomel R. Paguian with Reuters