Sandigan erred in granting Revilla bail – ombudsman

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan was wrong in granting the petition for bail of former senator Ramon Revilla Jr., according to the Office of the Ombudsman.

The ombudsman argued that the anti-graft court disregarded the prosecution’s evidence showing Revilla actively participated in the illegal disbursement of public funds for an alleged ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan worth P92.8 million.

The ombudsman has asked the Sandiganbayan to reverse its ruling.

Revilla is facing a malversation case over the flood control project.

In its motion, the ombudsman said Revilla requested for  a list of infrastructure projects for funding and allegedly asked for a “commitment fee” or a kickback after a project was included in the national budget.

The Sandiganbayan Third Division granted Revilla bail, saying the kickbacks he allegedly received were sourced from private contractors before the actual project implementation.