Leila De Lima, pansamantalang nakalaya matapos i-grant ng korte kanyang Petition for Bail

- Leila De Lima, a former Justice Secretary and Senator of the Republic is temporarily freed from jail after a Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court grants her petition for bail

- It can be recalled that former Sen. De Lima, while she was sitting as senator, was arrested on allegations of connections with drug lords

- Among those who testified against her were high-profile inmates of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa, as well as alleged drug personality Kerwin Espinosa

- Over the years, some of the witnesses against her recanted their testimony for varying reasons

Leila De Lima, a former Justice Secretary and Senator of the Republic of the Philippines walks away from jail after a Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court grants her petition for bail, paving the way for her temporary liberty.

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The court required former Sen. De Lima to post 300K bail six years after her incarceration.

It can be recalled that the former legislator, while she was serving her term as senator, was arrested on allegations of connections with drug lords.

Among the alleged drug lords who supposedly contributed to her candidacy as a senator in exchange for some favors was Kerwin Espinosa, the son of slain Mayor Rolando Rosal Espinosa, the then mayor of Albuera, Leyte.

The younger Espinosa, along with high-profile inmates of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa, testified against her.

Over the years, some of the witnesses against the former legislator, which included former Bureau of Corrections chief Rafael Ragos, recanted their testimony, with the latter even apologizing to De Lima during a brief encounter in court last year.

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When asked about what she felt about being granted temporary liberty, De Lima expressed gratitude to her supporters and the administration of President Bongbong Marcos.

Sen. Leila de Lima is a politician, who is an open critic of the Duterte administration. She has been in jail since 2017. It was alleged that the former senator used dr*g money for her campaign in 2016.

Last year, the former legislator was taken hostage by three prisoners at the Camp Crame jail. The three detainees who hostaged the former senator were allegedly initially trying to escape the detention center. They were identified as Feliciano Sulayao, Jr., Idang Susukan, and Arnel Cabintoy. According to the PNP, the three detainees stabbed a police officer, but one was able to fire at them before Sulayao headed toward the cell of the former senator.

Also last year, De Lima took to social media to express her gratitude to Sen. Manny Pacquiao for joining in the call to release her from detention. The lady senator has been in detention for more than five years after being accused of involvement in illegal substances. Sen. Leila has vehemently denied the charges, which she attributed to the alleged vindictiveness of some political personalities. She said that the cases filed against her were all fabricated.

Source: KAMI.com.gh