By Jun Ramirez and MB Online

The Office of the Ombudsman is launching a fact-finding graft investigation against Senator Leila de Lima for allegedly receiving millions of pesos from drug lords detained at the New Bilibid Prison to finance her senatorial bid.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, attending the University of the Philippines law alumni homecoming in Manila over the weekend, said she finally decided to start the probe based on numerous denunciations and complaints on De Lima’s alleged role in the proliferation of the drug trade all over the country during her stint as justice secretary.

“There is some leads and we are giving it due course by conducting preliminary investigation,” Morales said.

Change of mind

Previously, Morales refused to initiate a probe against De Lima, saying the charges were “mere allegations.”

Morales said deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Paul Elmer Clemente is spearheading the probe because it was there that Albuera, Leyte police chief Jovie Espenido formally sued De Lima for allegedly receiving bribe money from alleged Eastern Visayas drug kingpin Kerwin Espinosa.

Espinosa affirmed the charges when he testified before the Senate probe Wednesday, November 23.

Several individuals and anti-crime advocates also filed similar charges against the senator based on the testimonies of former National Bureau of Investigation officials and high-profile Bilibid inmates before the House of Representatives that they also gave huge amounts of campaign funds to the embattled senator.

Welcome move

De Lima, who has consistently denied the accusation, welcomed the Ombudsman’s “expected”move, which she said is the agency’s constitutional mandate.

In a statement Saturday, the beleaguered senator hoped the Ombudsman’s probe would give her the opportunity to prove her innocence.

“The public, including me, expects no less from the Ombudsman, especially Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-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,” she extolled.