Two more government witnesses have recanted their statements in connection with the last remaining drug case against former Senator Leila de Lima, the fierce opponent of former President Rodrigo Duterte. She will now be subject to the last court’s discretion regarding whether she is to be released from prison after serving seven years or to remain there indefinitely.

Former police officer Rodolfo Magleo retracted his evidence, along with co-witness Nonilo Arile, as they were “bothered by their good conscience.” Magleo had previously claimed that De Lima had engaged in illegal drug trade with the late high-profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian.

“We both planned to recant as early as 2018 but due to impossibility of communication, we were not able to do so. We are bothered by our consciences. We do not want you to be a victim of mistrial, we will reveal in due time. We are assuring you all that the last case will be dismissed,” said the one-page letter dated Oct. 12, 2023, addressed to De Lima, signed by both Magleo and Arile.

Five more witnesses, according to Magleo and Arile, will also retract their testimony.

The letter was promptly delivered to the court, and it will be up to the judge to decide how it affects De Lima’s last remaining case. In both 2021 and 2023, De Lima was cleared of the first two accusations.

Magleo and Arile were among the 13 individuals accused of involvement in the drug trade in 2016

De Lima has been incarcerated in New Bilibid Prison since 2017 due to her alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade during her tenure as justice secretary, with three cases filed against her. She was acquitted in two of the three cases.

When De Lima was first indicted in 2017, Arile and Magleo were original Department of Justice (DOJ) witnesses. Arile is a police asset who claims to have had personal conversations with the late Jaybee Sebastian, an inmate who allegedly told him he supplied narcotics money to De Lima. Magleo, on the other hand, claimed he had personal conversations with Ronnie Dayan, who allegedly enforced a monthly drug bribe quota for him and the former senator.

The letter from Magleo and Arile did not explain why they had previously testified against De Lima, unlike the other witnesses who recanted. In the letter, De Lima was only asked to send a delegation to Sablayan Prison in Occidental Mindoro, “ASAP for us to discuss all the legal aspects of the recantation.”

The two witnesses were among the 13 criminally sentenced inmates accused of participating in the illicit drug trade inside New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in 2016.

The number of witnesses who have withdrawn their testimony has increased due to their recantation.

Rafael Ragos, a former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge who was a key witness against De Lima, recanted his testimony, leading to her acquittal in her second case.

De Lima’s most recent outstanding case was assigned to the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206 under Judge Gener Gito last July after two judges were barred from participating in the proceedings that month.

The presiding judge also ordered three witnesses to testify in court against De Lima, including Magleo, Froilan Trestiza, and gang leader Jaime Patcho.

Photo: Leila de Lima FB