Jaybee Sebastian will speak about his knowledge of the drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison only with President Rodrigo Duterte, his lawyer said on Wednesday, hours after the high-profile inmate was hurt in a riot inside the prison compound.
In a live interview on GMA News TV's QRT, Sebastian's lawyer Edgar Arriba said the incident showed that there was a clear and present danger to the inmate's life.
"Napakarami niyang alam," said Arriba. "Ayaw niyang magsalita dahil lalong manganganib ang buhay niya."
Arriba said Sebastian told him: "Magsasalita lang ako sa presidente."
Sebastian was the most prominent name that surfaced in last week's House of Representatives hearing on the illegal drug trade inside the national penitentiary, with fellow inmates linking him to Senator Leila De Lima. Duterte has tagged De Lima for allowing narcotics to proliferate inside the NBP while she was justice secretary.
De Lima, a vocal critic of Duterte, has denied the links, saying that Sebastian was a government asset.
Arriba declined to answer when asked if this was true.
Sebastian underwent surgery on Wednesday after the riot, which left another high-profile inmate Tony Co dead and two others hurt.
Arriba said Sebastian did not want to court the ire of either the previous administration or the current one.
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