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| Photo from Inquirer (ctto) |
Manila, Philippines – On Thursday, the Department of Justice
(DOJ) has dropped the charges against former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor)
chief Rafael Ragos in connection to the cases filed against Senator Leila De
Lima before the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court. Ragos will be turned as a
prosecution witness on De Lima’s case.
The lady senator was detained for allegedly taking part and
benefitting from the illegal drug trade happening inside the New Bilibid
Prison.
Panel prosecutors of DOJ said that they decided to drop the
case for former BuCor chief and revised the charge sheet, naming only De lima
and her ex-lover Ronnie Dayan as the accused, who conspired to commit illegal
drug trade in bilibid.
“The inmates of the (NBP), not being authorized by law and
through the use of mobile phones and other electronic devices, willfully and
unlawfully traded and trafficked dangerous drugs,” the charge sheet states.
“Thereafter (the inmates) gave and delivered to De Lima
and/through Dayan, the proceeds of illegal drug trading amounting to PHP5
million on 24 November 2012 and another P5 million on 15 December 2012,” it
reads.
Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Ramoncito Ocampo, member of
DOJ’s team handling drug cases said that Ragos will be now used as a witness.
Meanwhile, De Lima’s side insisted to Muntinlupa RTC that request
to amend the charge sheet should be denied due to “utter lack of merit”.
In his sworn statement, Ragos narrated that he found a bag
with P5 million in it inside his quarters at the BuCor. Later on, he found out
that it was from Peter Co and the share of De Lima in the illegal drug trade
inside the prison.
According to Ragos, he also received another P5 million from
the same person in a separate incident.
Ragos, who is a former deputy director of the National
Bureau of Investigation (NBI), also admitted receiving money from Jorge Goff,
Jovencio Ablan Jr. and a relative of German Agojo.
Source: PTV News
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