Judge affirms De Lima acquittal in drug case
The RTC's action came after the Court of Appeals Eighth Division in April voided the May 12, 2023 decision of the RTC and remanded the case for failure "to discuss the specific proven facts as well as the laws upon which [the judge's] pronouncement of acquittal was based."
In response to the appellate court's order, Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 204 Judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara insisted that the recantation of former Bureau of Corrections chief Rafael Ragos' testimony was ''sufficient basis for the RTC to uphold the constitutionally guaranteed presumption of innocence.''
Ragos had claimed that he and aide Jovencio Ablen Jr. delivered P5 million in proceeds from the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison to De Lima's house in Parañaque City in 2012.
In May 2022, Ragos retracted his testimony against De Lima.
''To reiterate and emphasize, the testimony of witness Ragos is necessary to sustain any possible conviction. Without his testimony, the crucial link to establish conspiracy is shrouded with reasonable doubt,'' the revised decision stated.
''Thus, the undersigned presiding judge submits that the original decision already clearly and distinctly stated the facts and law upon which it was based.''
De Lima spent nearly seven years in detention before she was released on bail in November 2023. The last of her three drug-related cases was dismissed in June 2024. — VBL, GMA Integrated News
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