House leaders file criminal raps vs De Lima for advising Dayan not to appear in probe
Leaders of the House of the Representatives filed on Tuesday a criminal complaint against her before the Department of Justice for advising her former driver Ronnie Dayan not to appear before the congressional inquiry into the proliferation of illegal drugs inside the New Bilibid Prison.
In a complaint-affidavit, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Majority Leader Rodolfo Fari?as, and House committee on justice chairman Rep. Reynaldo Umali said De Lima’s decision to advise Dayan not to attend the hearing and even hide from the authorities violates the Revised Penal Code.
“As an incumbent senator, former Secretary of justice and a lawyer, advising and inducing Mr. Dayan to hide and not to attend and or appear in the House inquiry for which he was duly summoned is tantamount to inducing disobedience to summons issued by Congress, of which she is a sitting member,” the five-page complaint stressed.
On Monday, the House leaders also an filed ethics complaint against De Lima before the Senate.
Not heeding summons from Congress violates Article 150 of the Revised Penal Code. The offense is "punishable by arresto mayor (up to six months imprisonment) or a fine ranging from two hundred to one thousand pesos or both.”
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II received the complaint filed by the House leaders.
Dayan earlier testified the House committee on justice De Lima counselled him to snub the invitation of the panel over the probe on the alleged narcotics trade at the national penitentiary.
Dayan’s daughter,Hannah Mae, even showed to lawmakers a text message purportedly from De Lima advising her father to hide and not to appear in the inquiry.
De Lima and Dayan had a relationship. De Lima said it lasted for several years, while Dayan said they were together for seven years.
The complainants also cited De Lima’s repeated refusal to attend the House’ inquiry on the illegal drug trade inside the national penitentiary on September 20 and 21 and October 5 and 6.
"Respondent opted to ignore all invitations and failed to attend any of the hearings conducted by the Committee. Worse, respondent even insulted the House of Representative by calling its Committee a kangaroo court/committee and its proceedings a sham,” they said.
In an interview after the filing of the complaint, Umali said they are not ganging up on De Lima, who is his sorority sister.
“I’d like to correct the impression that we’re ganging up on Senator Leila. I’m doing this with a heavy heart because she is my sis (in the fraternity), but there was nothing I could do. She’s the one who courted these actions. The Speaker feels that there was disrespect on the House as an institution. We won’t be respected if we won’t take action against these acts of disrespect to the institution,” Umali told reporters. DMS
