The Muntinlupa City regional trial court has granted the withdrawal of the motion for reconsideration filed by state prosecutors challenging the acquittal of Mamamayang Liberal party-list representative Leila de Lima in the drug-related case filed by the Duterte administration.
In a September 30 order, Muntinlupa City RTC Branch 204 presiding judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara said the case is now considered “closed and terminated.”
“Considering that this case already involves an acquittal, the Court shall exercise sound discretion and allow withdrawal of the prosecution’s motion for reconsideration. Indeed, the directive of the Honorable Prosecutor General upon the panel of prosecutors to withdraw the motion is impressed with merit,” the court said.
“With the withdrawal of the motion for reconsideration, this case is hereby deemed closed and terminated,” it added.
The panel of prosecutors had previously sought to overturn De Lima’s acquittal on charges of conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading filed by the previous administration, saying that it had enough evidence to warrant a reversal of the ruling, which was issued earlier this year.
De Lima’s camp decried the prosecutors’ move, saying it smacked of double jeopardy, and threatened to sue the prosecution panel.
The prosecutors subsequently filed a motion to withdraw their appeal on orders of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, who said that they were “following a political agenda, not a legal agenda.”
