Ex-cop wants to recant ‘lies’ vs De Lima

A RETIRED police general has formally expressed his intention to the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court to retract his allegations against former senator Leila de Lima.

In his one-page letter dated December 18, retired general Jerry Valeroso told Muntinlupa RTC Branch 206 Presiding Judge Gener Gito that he wanted to withdraw his testimonies against De Lima to “set free” those “wrongfully charged” in court.

Valeroso said he also wants to “disclose the real truthfulness that the criminal complaints filed against the accused are pure hearsay and full of lies.”

“Because I was disturbed by my conscience, I planned to recant in early 2019. However, due to fearing for my life and the safety of my family and loved ones, I lost the guts to do so,” Valeroso told Gito.

He added that he is now consulting with his lawyer, whom he said will assist him in the preparations of “my official recantation.”

Gito is handling the remaining drug case of the former senator.

After almost seven years in detention, the Muntinlupa court last month allowed De Lima to post bail, saying that the prosecution failed to present substantial evident to establish the guilt of the former secretary of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and her co-accused.

Gito said the prosecution’s witnesses, including Valeroso, were not able to establish that there was conspiracy among the accused to commit illegal drug trading.

De Lima has earlier won two of the three drug cases lodged against her during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte. The first case was through a demurrer of evidence approved by the court in February 2021, and the second case, due to lack of merit.

Valeroso is the 13th prosecution witness against De Lima to withdraw their testimonies against the former senator and staunch critic of the then Duterte administration’s bloody anti-drug crackdown and human rights abuses.

Other witnesses who previously recanted or informed the court of their decision to withdraw their testimonies were German Agojo, Tomas Donina, Jaime Patcho, Peter Co, Engelbert Durano, Jerry Pepino, Hans Anton Tan, Nonito Arile and Rodolfo Magleo, former Bureau of Corrections chief Rafael Ragos, self-confessed