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De Lima lauds Ombudsman, assails Aguirre's 'bias'

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/07/27/072716_morales.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales</div></figcaption></figure></div><h2>Says Morales is trusted, competent, impartial</h2>MANILA - Senator Leila de Lima on Saturday lauded the move of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales to investigate the various allegations linking her to the illegal drug trade. In a press statement, the embattled former justice secretary said it was &quot;about time that the Ombudsman assert its primary jurisdiction over my case, and oust the DOJ [Department of Justice] of any authority to take over cases cognizable by the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan, especially in this instance where the DOJ has shown its lack of objectivity and interest in pursuing the truth.&quot; She said the Department of Justice (DOJ), now headed by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, as well as the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), &quot;have proven themselves to be nothing more than instruments of the present administration against vocal dissenters to the President, such as myself.&quot;De Lima praised the Ombudsman for being the &quot;most trusted and respected investigation office of the government&quot; at present. &quot;To investigate such matters is the constitutional mandate of the Ombudsman. The public, including me, expects no less from the Ombudsman, especially Ombudsman Morales, who has time and again proven her competence, impartiality and capability to live up to our expectations insofar as making public officers accountable to the public is concerned. As a public officer, I am accountable to the people in both my past and present official capacities as DOJ Secretary and as Senator,&quot; she said. De Lima she had expected the Ombudsman to conduct a fact-finding investigation, but described the allegations linking her to the drug trade as being in the &quot;most absurd contexts.&quot; She said the Ombudsman&#x27;s probe will give her a chance to clear her name. &quot;I am not exempt from any Ombudsman investigation, as no public officer is, which is the clear intent of the Constitution. As one of the guarantees of the Constitution to assure accountability of public officers, I welcome the Ombudsman investigation, both as a regular undertaking of said office and as an opportunity for me to clear my record of any allegations of wrongdoing,&quot; she said.On Friday, Ombudsman Morales said her office had given <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/25/16/ombudsman-fact-finding-investigation-ongoing-on-de-lima" target="_blank">due course to the complaint</a> against De Lima. &quot;There have been some leads. We&#x27;re giving it due course by conducting fact-finding,&quot; said Morales at the homecoming event of the University of the Philippines (U.P.) College of Law.Morales said the investigation is being carried out by the Deputy Ombudsman for Visayas.Albuera, Leyte police chief Jovie Espenido filed a complaint against De Lima before the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas. He accused De Lima of receiving payola from suspected Eastern Visayas drug lord Kerwin Espinosa.De Lima has been critical of President Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s heavy-handed leadership even when he was still mayor of Davao City. As head of the Commission on Human Rights, she investigated extra-judicial killings by the so-called <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/15/16/the-davao-death-squad-and-rodrigo-duterte" target="_blank">Davao Death Squad linked to Duterte</a>.

MANILA - Senator Leila de Lima on Saturday lauded the move of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales to investigate the various allegations linking her to the illegal drug trade.

MANILA - Senator Leila de Lima on Saturday lauded the move of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales to investigate the various allegations linking her to the illegal drug trade.