MANILA — Sen. Leila de Lima on Tuesday said that she is hopeful that the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) will reach a favorable decision on the cases filed against her by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
De Lima made this remark a day after filing motions to dismiss the criminal charges against her. She filed a motion to quash and a motion of judicial determination of probable cause insisting that it is the Ombudsman and not the court that has jurisdiction over her case.
The cases against De Lima will be handled by Muntinlupa City RTC Branches 204, 205, and 206.
“Pinapadismiss (ko) yung kaso kasi hindi po tamang forum yung regular court kundi Ombudsman and eventually Sandiganbayan if and when the Ombudsman finds probable cause (I am asking the case to be dismissed because the regular court is not the proper forum but the Ombudsman and eventually Sandiganbayan if and when the Ombudsman finds probable cause),” De Lima said.
De Lima said that if the courts agree that they do not have jurisdiction then her case will be dismissed and will no longer be questioned by the DOJ or complainants who filed charges against her.
She, however, said that even if the courts will decide that they have jurisdiction, they also have to determine if they have probable cause.
“Hintayin po natin ang magiging aksyon ng regional trial court kasi meron nga tayong remedy, motion to quash, motion of judicial determination of probable cause (Let’s wait for the action of the regional trial court because we already have a remedy, motion to quash and motion of judicial determination of probable cause),” De Lima said.
“And hihintayin natin ang resolution, kung idedeny po nila (And let’s wait for the resolution, if they deny it) then we will avail of the proper remedy which is going to the proper court either the Court of Appeals or Supreme Court,” she added.
On Friday, the DOJ filed three counts of illegal drugs charges before the Muntinlupa City RTC against De Lima and several others in connection to their alleged involvement in the proliferation of the illegal drugs trade inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said that there will be no arrest warrant issued against De Lima yet. PNA-northboundasia.com