SENATOR Leila de Lima on Tuesday shot back at Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, saying the evidence that he had against her was like his toupee—fake and only cosmetic.
Aguirre this week said he would file criminal and administrative charges against De Lima over allegations that she used drug money to bankroll her senatorial bid.
“There is nothing into it other than that. Nothing’s authentic,” De Lima said in a statement.
“What is real however are the killings. What is tragic is that these killings continue unabated. And the criminals, including these so-called vigilantes, are getting bolder; while the victims are getting younger,” also said De Lima who initiated a Senate investigation into the spate of extrajudicial killings under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
De Lima was later ousted as chairman of the Senate jsutice and humarn rights committee, after she presented a self-confessed hitman who said Duterte was behind the killing of more than 1,000 criminals and political opponents when he was still mayor of Davao City.
De Lima noted that 20,584 minors have reportedly been exploited into drug use and peddling.
At this point, she said, the Justice Department should focus its efforts in investigating and prosecuting the syndicates, “the real culprits who force these minors to go into drug pushing.”
Aguirre insisted the government had evidence against De Lima, in the testimony of two National Bureau of Investigation officials who said they delivered drug money to her house.
In an interview on Tuesday, De Lima challenged Aguirre to freeze her alleged banks accounts that would purportedly link her to the illicit drug operations.
“But if he cannot prove his allegation, then he should remove his toupee,” De Lima said.
De Lima said she has grown sick and tired of the allegations being raised against her.
“I can’t help myself so please forgive me if I’m riding on that style. I’m just giving them a dose of their own medicine because these [charges] are ridiculous so I would like to make jokes because I’m getting sick of seriously denying…. [what] are really lies,” she said.
“I can dare him now if these accounts are true, which are under the names of other people, could he ask the banks to freeze those accounts?
De Lima said she is confident that the banks would not do that because she said the accounts did not belong to her.
De Lima reiterated that the bank accounts being linked to her were fake, and noted the absence of any negative findings about her by the Anti-Money Laundering Council.
Reacting to De Lima’s statement, Aguirre again brought up sex videos of De Lima and her driver, Ronnie Dayan, videos that the senator said do not exist.
Aguirre said he saw all three alleged videos of De Lima, which he said could be used in court.
“If during trial, she will not admit relationship with Dayan, then we will be forced to present these in court,” Aguirre said, referring to the videos.
Asked if he believed the videos were really of De Lima, Aguirre cited the appearance of the senator’s dog in one of the videos.
Aguirre also did not discount of having Dayan serve as a witness agaisnt De Lima, should he surface and tell all he knew about the illegal drug trade in the NBP.
“He could still get immunity for as long as he will speak the truth. You can have immunity or be a state witness for as long as you don’t appear as the most guilty,” Aguirre said.
He said House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez could offer the same immunity given to the witnesses who testified in the House’ inquiry on the proliferation of illegal drugs at the national penitentiary.
He again said the Justice department already had enough evidence to pin down De Lima, even without Dayan’s testimony.