MANILA — Former Senator Leila de Lima’s three co-accused in the alleged illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison, Franklin Bucayu, Joenel Sanchez and Ronnie Dayan, on Tuesday filed a motion to inhibit against Muntinlupa Judge Romeo Buenaventura, questioning his impartiality to handle their cases.

The three alleged that Judge Buenaventura, who had denied their bail petition, failed to disclose that his brother, Atty. Emmanuel Buenaventura, had assisted Ronnie Dayan in executing his "coerced" affidavit linking De Lima to the illegal drug trade inside the penitentiary.

Dayan later retracted his statement.

• Muntinlupa court denies Leila de Lima's bail petition
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Sanchez alleged that the judge's brother worked as a legal adviser to the late Rep. Reynaldo Umali, former chair of the House Committee on Justice, during the time congressional hearings were held in October 2016.

Sanchez was subpoenaed to testify at the time.

Sanchez said the failure of the judge to disclose his relationship with Atty. Buenaventura raises questions about his impartiality and cold neutrality.

It also violates the constitutional right of the accused to due process, which requires that the hearing is conducted before an impartial and disinterested tribunal, he added.

Dayan meanwhile said the judge should have been "clothed with moral high ground to decide instant case."

"However, this matter is a clear case of conflict of interest," he said.

For his part, former Bureau of Corrections chief Franklin Jesus Bucayu cited Judge Buenaventura's "one-sided" order denying bail and his failure to disclose ties with his brother.

— Report from Jeff Caparas and Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News