Court affirms De Lima acquittal
A MUNTINLUPA court affirmed the acquittal of the third and last case against former senator Leila M. De Lima.
In a four-page order, the court noted the only way to vacate the judgment of acquittal is by showing the court committed “grave abuse of discretion.”
“The prosecution, in its Motion for Reconsideration did not even ascribe grave abuse of discretion on the part of the Court,” Judge Gener M. Gito wrote.
“It did not cite any instance in the Court’s Order that in having such kind of conclusion, the Court encroached into the area of grave abuse of discretion.”
Ms. De Lima was granted demurrer to evidence last June and was in effect acquitted in her third and last drug case perpetrated by ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
She was a staunch critic of Mr. Duterte’s infamous war on drugs that unjustly killed thousands of Filipinos, mostly urban poor. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana