DOJ sends Trillanes case review to Palace but keeps mum on results

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has submitted to President Benigno Aquino III the findings of her review of the coup d'etat charge against detained Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, but is keeping silent for now about the results. "I submitted already my memorandum to the president containing the results of my evaluation and also my recommendation," De Lima told Palace reporters in an ambush interview on Wednesday. But the justice chief refused to disclose the results of her review of the case filed against Trillanes arising from his involvement in the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny. "I don't want to preempt the president as to kung ano ang magiging next instruction nya sa akin (what his next instruction to me will be)," she said. Sought for comment, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said he has yet to be briefed on De Lima's findings. "I know for a fact that the case has been submitted for decision. We will leave it at that first," Lacierda said at a press briefing. Aquino had earlier asked the Department of Justice to review the coup d'etat charge against Trillanes, whom he said could have been a victim of "injustice." Aquino, however, said that despite the review, he will respect the decision that will be made by the courts handling Trillanes' cases. (See: Aquino: Exoneration for Trillanes not being sought) Trillanes is facing coup d’etat charges before the Makati City Regional Trial Court branch 148 for his participation in the so-called Oakwood Mutiny on July 27, 2003. The senator later also faced rebellion charges before the Makati City RTC Branch 150 for taking part in the so-called Manila Peninsula hotel siege in November 2007. Trillanes has posted a P200,000 bail before the Makati RTC branch 150 "in anticipation of the possibility" that Judge Oscar Pimentel of the Makati RTC branch 148 would grant the senator's earlier motion for a leave-from-detention to attend the opening of the Senate session. De Lima said she has yet to review the rebellion case against Trillanes as well as the cases involving other military officers like Marine Captain Nicanor Faeldon who recently surrendered to authorities. (See: Mutiny suspect Faeldon surrenders to military) "Ongoing pa evaluation ko nung ibang cases like the rebellion cases so inuuna ko muna yung coup d’etat for the Oakwood Mutiny," said the justice chief. (My evaluation of other cases like the rebellion cases are still ongoing, so I attended first to the coup d’etat case for the Oakwood Mutiny.) —JV, GMANews.TV