Sandiganbayan clears Revilla in pork barrel scam
MANILA, Philippines (Update 2, 10:42 a.m.) — The Sandiganbayan acquitted on Friday former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. from plunder charges for the misuse of over P224.5 million worth of public funds.
In a vote of 3-2, the Sandiganbayan’s Special Division ruled that Revilla “cannot be held liable” for the charge as the prosecution failed to prove his guilt “beyond reasonable doubt.”
This is the first trial over the multi-billion Priority Development Assessment Fund or pork barrel scam to finish.
Associate Justice Geraldine Faith Econg, Edgardo Caldona and Georgina Dumpit-Hidalgo voted for the acquittal of Revilla.
Associate Justices Efren de la Cruz and Ma. Theresa Gomez Estoesta meanwhile voted to convict him of plunder.
The Sandiganbayan First Division meanwhile convicted Richard Cambe, Revilla’s aide, and businesswoman Janet-Lim Napoles.
Napoles and Cambe are sentenced to reclusion perpetua or imprisonment of up to 40 years.
The Office of the Ombudsman filed plunder against Revilla in June 2014.
Ombudsman prosecutors accused Revilla of pocketing P224.5 million in kickbacks for funneling the PDAF allocated to him to fictitious livelihood projects of Napoles, dubbed as the pork barrel scam mastermind.
Revilla may walk free this afternoon
Revilla’s counsel, Ramon Esguerra, told reporters that the former senator’s legal team is assisting in the bail payment.
“Hopefully after posting the bail, the court will order his release from detention. Hopefully from this afternoon he will be out of detention from the custodial center in Camp Crame,” the lawyer.
Esguerra said he is unsure how much the bail set by the court was, but added that they would follow what was ordered.
Once the bail is posted, “the court will issue the appropriate order,” the lawyer added.
Revilla is gunning for a seat in the Senate in the 2019 midterm elections.
Witness backtracks
In a trial hearing in June, Marina Sula, one of the state witnesses, cleared Revilla of involvement in the pork barrel scam.
Sula told the justices that Benhur Luy—whistleblower in the PDAF scam—forged the signatures of Revilla in various endorsement letters.
READ: Witness clears Bong Revilla in ‘pork barrel’ scam
“Si Benhur, siya yung mahusay pumirma ng lawmakers at siya yung nakikita kong pumipirma para sa lawmakers (It was Benhur who used to forge the signatures of lawmakers. He was good at that. I used to see him signing letters on behalf of lawmakers),” Sula said during examination by Revilla’s lawyer Reody Anthony Balisi.
Luy, the case’s whistleblower, served as one of Napoles’ aides.
He filed a case of illegal detention against Napoles, but the Court of Appeals reversed Napoles’ conviction.
The CA said that Luy’s testimony that he was held against his will was “quite baffling.”
“It is quite baffling how someone who was illegally detained would not mention such fact to several priests he sees on a daily basis,” the CA said.
He also updated his family from time to time but never mentioned his forced detention, the court said. — with a report from Elizabeth Marcelo
Former Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. arrives at the Sandiganbayan for the promulgation of the decision on his plunder case in connection with the pork barrel fund scam.
Revilla is accused of receiving P224.5 million in kickbacks for allocating his Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel to fake foundations owned by alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles.
Revilla is accused of receiving P224.5 million in kickbacks or commissions in exchange for allocating his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel to fake foundations owned by the alleged pork scam mastermind Janet Napoles. @PhilippineStar
— Elizabeth T. Marcelo (@marcelo_beth) December 7, 2018
The Sandiganbayan acquits detained businesswoman dubbed "pork barrel scam" queen, Janet Lim-Napoles, and a former lawmaker of plunder over the misuse of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), according to media reports.
The two, however, are found guilty of nine counts of corruption of a public official while former Rep. Edgar Valdez of Association of Philippine Electic Cooperatives has been convicted of nine counts of direct bribery.
Media reports that each of them are sentenced between two years and four months up to six years and a day in jail for these crimes and were also fined nearly P27 million.
Anti-graft court Sandiganbayan clears Sen. Bong Revilla of his remaining cases in connection with pork barrel scam.
Revilla was acquitted of 16 counts of graft as the court granted his demurrer to evidence, in which, he prayed for the dismissal of the cases on the grounds of the insufficiency of evidence of the Office of the Ombudsman's prosecution team. — The STAR/Elizabeth Marcelo
Sandiganbayan denies former Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and Janet Lim-Napoles' demurrer to evidence seeking the dismissal of their plunder case over the PDAF scam.
The anti-graft court says the ombudsman's prosecution team was able to present strong evidence.
Sandiganbayan Fifth Division denies ex-Sen. Jinggoy Estrada & Janet Lim-Napoles' demurrer to evidence seeking the dismissal of their plunder case over PDAF scam. Court says prosecution team of @OmbudsmanPh was able to present strong evidence. @PhilippineStar
— Elizabeth T. Marcelo (@marcelo_beth) June 14, 2019
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Sandigan Fifth Division says the totality of evidence presented by @OmbudsmanPh prosecution team was strong enough to convict Estrada and Napoles if remains unrebutted with their counter-exhibits @PhilippineStar
— Elizabeth T. Marcelo (@marcelo_beth) June 14, 2019
Newly freed Bong Revilla maintains that he will not participate in the return of P124.5 million in civil liability ordered by the Sandiganbayan to be paid to the government in connection with the misuse of his pork barrel fund when he was a senator, The STAR's Elizabeth Marcelo reports.
"Ano ang isasauli ko? Wala naman akong kasalanan, nagsalita na ang korte na wala akong kasalanan," Revilla says.
The dispositive portion of the earlier Sandiganbayan decision states that "accused are solidarily and jointly liable to return to the national treasury the amount of P124.5 million" in pursuant to Article 100 of the Revised Penal Code.
Former Supreme Court spokesperson Theodore Te raises a question on former Sen. Bong Revilla's acquittal despite the Anti-Money Laundering Council report proving that tens of millions went to his account.
Te says this in an interview over ANC.
#ANCEarlyEdition Te: Revilla was acquitted but AMLC report proved money went into his account.
— ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) December 9, 2018
Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Ma. Theresa Dolores Gomez-Estoesta who filed a dissenting opinion noted that Revilla's bank accounts accumulated P170,981,280.46 by 2010. Revilla declared only P81,164,851.55 in cash and investments in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth that year. The disparity is close to P90 million.
Te also questions how Revilla's co-accused alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles and his aide Richard Cambe was found to be involved in the conspiracy while Revilla was not.
Lawyer Ramon Esguerra, legal counsel of Revilla, however, says the AMLC report on Revilla's case was considered but not given credence as the majority found it has no probative value.
#ANCHeadstart Esguerra: AMLC report on Revilla's case was considered. The decision has a very lengthy explanation on why the AMLC report cannot be given credence, to the majority it has no probative value.
— ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) December 10, 2018
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