Former Senator Leila de Lima has filed a formal letter-complaint through her legal counsel, Atty. Dino Singson de Leon, urging Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to initiate an administrative investigation against members of the Department of Justice (DOJ) panel that handled her three dismissed drug cases.

De Lima accused the prosecutors of Grave Misconduct and Gross Ignorance of the Law, citing their alleged role in pursuing what she called “trumped-up” charges during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Through my steadfast resolve and with the tireless efforts of my lawyers, I have been acquitted of all charges. But the pursuit of justice ought not to end there. There must be a reckoning for those who abused their authority,” De Lima said in a statement.

According to the former lawmaker, the cases against her were built not on evidence, but on “coercion and lies” orchestrated within the DOJ. She claimed the prosecutors “willfully proceeded with this sham,” turning the process into an “instrument of persecution, not prosecution.”

De Lima also condemned the panel’s filing of a second Motion for Reconsideration in Criminal Case No. 17-165 before the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court on July 14, 2025—after her acquittal—a move she described as a clear violation of the constitutional protection against double jeopardy. The motion, later withdrawn, was reportedly filed without the approval of Secretary Remulla and Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon.

She said this action was a “malicious attempt to prolong [her] ordeal and subvert the rule of law,” stressing that the prosecutors involved should no longer be allowed to exercise state authority.

“If they could do this to a former CHR Commissioner, former Justice Secretary, and senator, what would stop them from doing the same to ordinary Filipinos?” De Lima warned.

The former senator vowed to hold accountable those she believes manipulated the prosecutorial process, declaring: “Managot ang dapat managot!”