De Lima, counsel face contempt raps over drug case ‘remarks’

In a 39-page petition for indirect contempt filed before the Muntinlupa regional trial court, the panel of prosecutors led by Bataan Provincial Prosecutor Ramoncito Bienvenido T. Ocampo, Jr., asked the court to hold de Lima and her counsel liable for out of context statements they made in connection with the testimony of witnesses before the court, in violation of the so-called sub judice rule. (File Photo: Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA – Government lawyers on Friday filed a petition for indirect contempt against detained Senator Leila de Lima and her defense counsel Filibon Tacardon for disinforming the public in the cases against her for alleged involvement in the illegal drugs trade in the New Bilibid Prison while she was secretary of justice.

In a 39-page petition for indirect contempt filed before the Muntinlupa regional trial court, the panel of prosecutors led by Bataan Provincial Prosecutor Ramoncito Bienvenido T. Ocampo, Jr., asked the court to hold de Lima and her counsel liable for out of context statements they made in connection with the testimony of witnesses before the court, in violation of the so-called sub judice rule.

“Not only respondents Atty. Tacardon and Senator Leila M. De Lima continue(s) to disallow the sub judice rule, they took advantage of the mainstream media to publish the pronouncements intended to disinform or misinform the general public of the merits of the cases to the detriment of finding out the truth in each and every case,” the prosecutors’ petition said.

They added press statements made by de Lima commenting on the merits of the case following the presentation of witnesses which they described as “an obvious attempt of respondents to condition the minds of the public and affect the court in finally decided on the criminal liability of the accused in its decision to these cases”.

“It must be borne in mind that the Court must be protected from any attempt to pressure it into acting one way or the other in any case pending before it and to proceed to the disposition of its business in an orderly manner, free from outside interference obstructive of its functions and tending to embarrass the administration of justice,” the petitioners said.

Pending termination of the presentation of the prosecution’s evidence for purposes of bail hearing and after the Oct. 23 bail hearings in two of three criminal cases, Tacardon issued a press statement commenting out of context in violation of the sub judice rule on the testimonies of Anti-Money Laundering Council financial investigator Artemio L. Baculi and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency forensic examiner Krystal R. Casenas.

They likewise did the same on three other witnesses Rigel Salvador, Vicente Sy, and Dennis Alfonso, where de Lima and Tacardon publicly claimed that they have cleared them in illegal drug trading.

An evidence to the contrary has been pointed out in the judicial affidavit of Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Darwin Canete.