A PETITION has been filed with the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court seeking to cite for indirect contempt former senator Leila de Lima, Sen. Risa Hontiveros and Rep. Edcel Lagman for making public statements related to the pending cases of the former senator in alleged violation of the sub judice rule.
Also included in the complaint filed by lawyer Ferdinand Topacio were lawyers Filibon Tacardon and Dino de Leon, and militant groups leaders Cristina Palabay and Renato Reyes.
Hontiveros’ office said the senator has “no comment” on the case filed, while Tacardon said he will first read the complaint and “coordinate with other defendants” before making a comment.
“The petition is filed in relation to the case of Atty. Leila de Lima pending before the Regional Trial Court Branch 256, Muntinlupa City with docket number Criminal Case no. 17-167. Specifically assailed in this Petition are the contemptuous conduct of respondents in making public comments regarding the case of Atty. Leila de Lima which tends to impede, obstruct, or degrade the administration of justice,” Topacio said in the complaint.
Topacio said he filed the case in performance of his duties as a member of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), which he said was instrumental in filing the illegal drugs charges against De Lima in Criminal Case No. 17-167 which accuses her of tolerating the widespread drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison when she was still justice secretary.
Topacio said De Lima posted on her Facebook account a comment regarding the denial of her bail “which tends to challenge the wisdom of the ruling of the Honorable Court.
He said the post, which was titled “Dispatch from Crame No. 1301: Former Senator Leila M. de Lima’s statement on the Court’s Order denying her petition for bail,” “directly incited the public to question” the court’s decision “when she publicly raised the issue on credibility of inmate witness testimonies.”
“Respondent De Lima further claimed to the public that there are more acceptable evidence compared to the inmates witnesses’ statements which are purportedly unreliable and unworthy of belief,” Topacio said.
He said De Lima’s comment was “unnecessary” since she reportedly knows that the court found credibility on the inmate’s testimony as stated in its decision.
He added that De Lima, being a lawyer, is expected to respect the court’s decision.
