Embattled Senator Leila De Lima maintains her innocence amid her indictment for her alleged involvement in the proliferation of illegal drugs during her stint as the secretary of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Speaking to the media on Sat morning, Feb 18, De Lima said the charges filed against her are meant to silence her from speaking against President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration.
“No other reason, and also personal vendetta of the President. There’s no other reason because I’m innocent and not at all involved in the drug trade. So these are all trumped-up charges,” De Lima said in an interview with GMA News during Walk for Life, a church-led mobilization at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.
The DOJ has charged De Lima for violating Section 5 (sale and trading of illegal drugs) of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, in relation to Section 3 (jj), Section 26 (b), and Section 28 (criminal liability of government officials and employees) of the same act.
Unmoved, De Lima said, “For as long as I can, I will continue to fight. They cannot silence me.”
