3 DE LIMA COACCUSED WANT JUDGE TO INHIBIT FROM DRUG CASE

Three of former Sen. Leila de Lima’s six coaccused in her remaining illegal drug case have asked presiding Judge Romeo Buenaventura of the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court’s Branch 256 to voluntarily inhibit himself from the case, citing impartiality and conflict of interest.

In their separate motions for inhibition filed on Tuesday, De Lima’s former aides Ronnie Dayan and Joenel Sanchez, and former Bureau of Corrections chief Franklin Jesus Bucayu said that Buenaventura had failed to disclose the “material fact” that he was the brother of lawyer Emmanuel Buenaventura.

The petitioners also wanted the judge to inhibit himself from ruling on their motion for reconsideration after he denied all of the accused’s petition for bail on June 7.

Dayan, Sanchez and Bucayu said in their separate motions that Emmanuel Buenaventura served as legal adviser to the late Rep. Reynaldo Umali, the House committee on justice chair who led an inquiry into the alleged proliferation of the drug trade at New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

The testimonies of some resource persons, among them NBP inmates, during the House hearings later became the basis for the three original conspiracy to commit drug trading cases filed against De Lima and her coaccused.

The petitioners noted in their motions that Emmanuel Buenaventura had admitted in a TV interview on Nov. 25, 2016, that he helped Dayan execute an affidavit while the latter was being held at the House of Representatives in preparation for attending the inquiry.

That affidavit was later used to link De Lima to the illegal drug trade inside the national penitentiary. But in April last year, Dayan recanted his testimonies, saying that Umali had coerced him into making false accusations against De Lima and that his affidavits were made under duress and without a lawyer of his choice.

“Given this consideration, there is a clear case of conflict of interest on the part of the honorable presiding judge in trying the instant case. Henceforth, the honorable presiding judge committed gross negligence, if not gross misconduct, in not declaring that fact that he is the brother of Atty. Emmanuel S. Buenaventura,” Dayan said in his own motion.