MANILA — The Department of Justice clarified on Friday that the Court of Appeals (CA) did not reverse former Senator Leila De Lima’s acquittal in her drug case. Instead, the CA has ordered the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC) to revise its ruling and explain its legal reasoning more clearly.
DOJ spokesperson Atty. Mico Clavano explained that the CA ruling remands the case to RTC Branch 204 for clarification—not for retrial or reversal. “It’s not a reversal per se. The acquittal remains in place for now,” he said.
De Lima also noted that the CA decision only required the trial court to comply with constitutional standards for writing decisions. “It’s about improving how the judge’s ruling was written, not overturning it,” she told Balitanghali.
The case involves the recantation of testimony by former BuCor chief Rafael Ragos, which the RTC judge cited as grounds for acquitting De Lima and her former aide Ronnie Dayan. The CA, however, found the explanation lacking in legal detail and asked for clarification on how the retraction influenced the outcome.
Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra added that the DOJ would handle the remanded case in the lower court, while the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) would represent the government if the case reaches the Supreme Court.
Clavano emphasized that De Lima is not a direct party to the certiorari petition filed by the OSG. Instead, it was filed against the judge who issued the acquittal, citing “grave abuse of discretion.”