Sandigan denies Revilla plea to junk plunder rap

MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan has denied with finality the petition of former senator Ramon Revilla Jr. to dismiss his plunder case in connection with the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam.

In an eight-page ruling released recently, the anti-graft court’s First Division maintained that the case against Revilla was sufficient in form and substance.

Magistrates of the Sandiganbayan said the argument raised by Revilla that the charge sheet did not specify the “series of overt or criminal acts” that he allegedly committed, which led to the supposed accumulation of ill-gotten wealth, are “mere rehashed version” of his motion to quash, which the court had denied on Feb. 23.

The court found no merit in the motion for reconsideration filed by Revilla’s co-accused and former aide Richard Cambe.

The Sandiganbayan maintained that Revilla’s supposed endorsement of non-government organizations (NGOs) linked to alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles was part of the process of the commission of the alleged crime.

“A thoughtful reassessment of the records of the case and the questioned resolution convinces this court that the defendants’ motions lack merit,” read the ruling penned by division chairman Associate Justice Efren de la Cruz.

Associate Justices Geraldine Faith Econg and Bernelito Fernandez concurred with the ruling.

The Office of the Ombudsman filed the charges against Estrada in June 2014.

Ombudsman prosecutors said Revilla allegedly received a total of P224.5 million in kickbacks from Napoles in exchange for endorsing her bogus NGOs as the beneficiaries of his Priority Development Assistance Fund.

The trial of Revilla and Cambe is on June 1.