Senator Leila de Lima has asked the Court of Appeals to stop the Department of Justice (DOJ) from acting on the criminal cases filed against her. In her 46-page petition for prohibition and certiorari, De Lima insisted before the appeals court that the DOJ has no jurisdiction to conduct a preliminary investigation of the cases filed against her. She said the Office of the Ombudsman has the sole jurisdiction to conduct an investigation into offenses cognizable by the Sandiganbayan. De Lima initially questioned the DOJ’s jurisdiction in a motion submitted to the DOJ panel of prosecutors. The DOJ panel of prosecutors led by Seniors Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Ong denied De Lima’s motion.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer January 24, 2017 07:12 UTC