By Glaiza Salanio

Former senator Leila de Lima has been cleared from all drug-related cases filed by former President Rodrigo Duterte after Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 206 cleared her third and last charge on Monday, June 24.

The court dismissed her conspiracy to commit a drug trading case for failure of the prosecution to prove her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

“Assessing the totality of the evidence presented by the prosecution, the Court is of the firm resolve and so holds that the prosecution was not able to prove the guilt of all accused beyond a reasonable doubt,” the court said.

Judge Gener Gito of Branch 206 granted Senator De Lima’s demurrer to evidence, clearing her, former Bureau of Corrections director Franklin Bucayu, her former bodyguard Ronnie Dayan, and former aides Joenel Sanchez and Jad Dera.

De Lima’s defense had requested acquittal in March, arguing the prosecution did not sufficiently prove her involvement in drug trading.

Previously, De Lima was acquitted in her first case in February 2021 by Muntinlupa RTC Branch 205 and in another case by Branch 204 last year.

Additionally, two disobedience cases filed in 2017 by Davao del Norte 1st District Representative Pantaleon Alvarez and ex-congressmen Rodolfo Fariñas (Ilocos Norte) and the late Reynaldo Umali (Oriental Mindoro) were dismissed by a Quezon City court.

She was granted bail in November last year after being detained at the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City, for seven years.