Marcos, crony ordered to return ill-gotten wealth to gov't

MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan ordered the Marcoses and the family of alleged Marcos crony Alfonso Lim to return all properties claimed by the government.

The anti-graft court issued a 35-page decision on Dec. 14, 2015, ordering the Marcos and Lim families to return properties found to be illegally obtained.

In 1987, the Philippine Commission on Good Government (PCGG) filed a civil case against the family of former President Ferdinand Marcos and his alleged crony.

The Sandiganbayan Second Division ordered the Marcos and Lim families to return the remaining assets registered to Alfonso Lim Sr. to the government, which amounts to an estimated value of P378 million in 2006.

This includes properties in Tagaytay City (P206.6 million), Batangas (P96.8 million) and Angono, Rizal (P74.5 million).

Meanwhile, Lim's properties in Cagayan and Manila have been sold at a public auction to settle tax liabilities and labor claims, according to the Sandiganbayan.

Lim, who died in 2002, reportedly acquired these properties through timber concessions and management contracts.

The court also ordered the return of sequestered aircraft, RP-C208 Cessna Centurion II and RP-C333 Cessna Golden Eagle, which are registered under the name of Taggat Industries. The aircraft have been grounded at the Manila Domestic Airport since 1994.

Aside from Marcos and Lim, the other defendants in the case were former First Lady Imelda Marcos, Alfonso Lim Jr., Teodoro Q. Peña, Taggat Industries, Pamplona Redwood, Southern Plywood, Western Cagayan, Veterans Woodworks Inc., Sierra Madre Wood, and Tropical Philippines Wood Industries Inc.

The court, however, did not mention the civil liability of Imelda and their children Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, Imee Marcos-Manotoc, and Irene Marcos-Araneta.

In November 2015, the Philippine government ordered the appraisal of the jewelry collection seized from Imelda Marcos three decades ago.

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