MANILA, Philippines — The former deputy director of the National Bureau of Investigation who last year testified that he had delivered millions of pesos in drug money to the house of Sen. Leila de Lima is no longer a co-accused of the lawmaker.
Government prosecutors have dropped the drug-related charges they filed against Rafael Ragos, who is also former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge, nine months after he surrendered to authorities last February.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) no longer included Ragos among the accused in its amended motion dated November 10, 2017, which asked Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court-Branch 204 to grant its plea to modify the department’s charges against De Lima and her former aide and lover Ronnie Dayan from drug trading to drug conspiracy.
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In October 2016, during an inquiry by the House of Representatives on the proliferation of drugs at the National Bilibid Prison, Ragos testified that in November and December 2012, he delivered a total of P10 million to the Parañaque City residence of then DOJ chief De Lima, claiming he handed the drug money to Dayan.
Is there a deal?
De Lima thinks there could have been a “deal” behind the DOJ’s move to let Ragos get off the hook and make him testify against her.
On Thursday, the senator urged Ragos to listen to his conscience as he knew that she was innocent and that the charges against the lawmaker were all fabricated.
“Sana pakinggan niya ang konsensya niya, alam ko alam nila na inosente ako at ang paratang na ito ay gawa-gawa lang,” she said.
De Lima added that while she knew that her co-accused were being allegedly pressured to implicate her, she was hoping that they would be brave enough to resist being used allegedly by President Rodrigo Duterte’s henchmen.
“Naintindihan ko sila. Giniginipit din sila. Pero sana magpaka-lalaki ang mga co-accused ko. Huwag na sila magpagamit sa mga kampon ni Duterte,” she said.
