7 more Bilibid inmates want to recant testimony vs De Lima

SEVEN more Bilibid inmates who testified against former senator Leila de Lima in the drug charges filed against her by the government have informed the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court that they are recanting their testimonies, saying they were just forced to testify against her.

In a three-page handwritten letter dated Nov. 17, 2023, inmates German Agojo, Jaime Patcho, Tomas Donina, Wu Tuan Yuan alias Peter Co, Jerry Pepino, Engelberto Duran, and Hans Anton Tan asked the court’s permission to recant their testimonies against De Lima.

They also expressed their “sincerest apologies” to the former senator, who was released on bail last week after nearly seven years of incarceration.

In his ruling allowing De Lima to post bail, Muntinlupa RTC Branch 206 Presiding Judge Gener Gito pointed out that the prosecution failed to sufficiently establish the guilt of De Lima and her co-accused due to a lack of substantial evidence.

The seven inmates said they are withdrawing their testimonies linking De Lima to the drug trade in the interest of truth and justice.

“We, the undersigned Persons Deprived of Liberty presently confined at the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm (SPPF), who testified against the former DOJ Secretary and former Senator Leila de Lima, would like to recant our previous testimonies against the latter in the interest of truth and justice,” the seven inmates said in their letter.

“We are aware that by doing this, we are risking our lives and the safety and security of our families. However, we firmly believe in the saying ‘the truth shall set you free.’ At this point, we would like to state that our participation as witnesses in the drug cases against former DOJ Secretary de Lima was vitiated by undue compulsion and influence, and thus, any judicial statement made by us, is void of lack of consent,” they added.

De Lima, through her lead counsel, Boni Tacardon, asked the Muntinlupa RTC to bring in the seven inmates and said they should be asked to “confirm the veracity of their claims.”

She also asked the court to order their transfer from the SPPF to another detention facility inside the national penitentiary, subject to the “authenticity and