MANILA, Philippines – Iaapela ni dating Senadora Leila De Lima sa Korte Suprema ang desisyon ng Court of Appeals (CA) na nagbabasura sa kanyang acquittal kaugnay ng kasong droga.
Giit niya, nananatiling epektibo ang kanyang acquittal sa ilalim ng prinsipyo ng double jeopardy.
“Nonetheless, we will appeal the CA’s decision up to the Supreme Court, if necessary. In the meantime, this does not mean that my acquittal has lost its legal effect. My acquittal is final and unappealable due to the principle of double jeopardy, whereas the CA’s decision is still appealable up to the Supreme Court,” aniya. “For now, the RTC’s decision acquitting me still holds greater weight.”
“We believe that all the answers to the CA’s questions in their decision can be found in the case records. Perhaps we just need to point out again, through our Motion for Reconsideration, the specific portions of the records where the answers to their questions can be found,” giit pa ni De Lima.
Ayon sa CA, nabigo ang hukom ng Muntinlupa RTC na ipaliwanag ang batayan ng desisyon.
“I also wish to clarify that the CA did not say that my acquittal was reversed; rather, it only asked for the RTC decision to be clarified or revised — something we believe is unnecessary because the RTC’s ruling is already clear,” dagdag pa niya.
Tinawag ni De Lima na “nakalilito” ang pasya ng CA, at nanindigang hindi ito magiging hadlang sa kanyang pagbabalik sa Kongreso bilang kinatawan ng ML Party-list. RNT
