MANILA - The Duterte administration did not offer paroles to high-profile inmates of the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in exchange for testifying against Senator Leila De Lima, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said Sunday.
Aguirre denied that government made "exchange deals" with the prisoners who will appear next week before the congressional inquiry on the proliferation of illicit drugs in detention facilities when de Lima was still Justice chief.
"Wala kaming pinangako diyan. (We did not promise them anything.) We are not in a position to give anything or to promise anything except na iyung mga testimony ninyo ay hindi magagamit sa inyo (your testimonies will not be used against you)," he told radio DZMM.
He said the inmates themselves are not expecting any favor for narrating how money was collected from them to allegedly fund de Lima’s 2016 senate bid.
"Itong mga inmates na ito, napakahaba ng mga sentensya, 'yung iba siguro rito, may life pa. Wala na silang inaasahan except that makatulong sila," the Justice chief said. (These inmates have long prison sentences, some of them were sentenced to life. They are not axpecting anything except that they will help the investigation.)
The inmates set to appear at the House probe have been transferred from the New Bilibid Prisons to a maximum security facility inside military headquarters because of security concerns, Aguirre added.
Two of the inmates testifying against the senator are crime kingpins Herbert Colangco and Noel Martinez. They are set to reveal how a fellow inmate, Jaybee Sebastian, allegedly directed them to sell large amounts of "shabu" as early as 2013 to contribute to then de Lima's campaign kitty.
A high-ranking government official will also testify that he delivered millions in drug payoffs to de Lima's house in Parañaque, Aguirre said.
De Lima is leading a Senate investigation into the thousands of deaths linked to Duterte's war on drugs.
Last week, she presented as witness Edgar Matobato, a self-confessed hitman who accused Duterte of ordering the killings of suspected criminals and political opponents in Davao City during his term as mayor.
SOURCE: ABS-CBN
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