President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has adopted seven Sandiganbayan decisions junking ill-gotten and forfeiture cases involving P304 billion against the Marcos family as defense evidence in the ongoing ill-gotten wealth trial of Civil Case 0014.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, Marcos’ counsel, lawyer Manuel Plaza III, formally made the court pleading to adopt the following decisions as part of their defense:
Sandiganbayan Resolution dated December 16, 2019 for Civil Case 0002 junking the P200 billion forfeiture case vs. the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., and daughters Imee and Irene;
Sandiganbayan Resolution dated October 14, 2019 for Civil Case 0007 dismissing a P267 million ill-gotten case against Marcos Sr. and his wife Imelda and their alleged cronies, namely Fe Roa Gimenez and her husband, Ignacio Gimenez; Vilma Bautista and her husband, Gregorio, among others;
Sandiganbayan Resolution dated January 23, 2020 for Civil Case 0007 upholding the October 14, 2019 dismissal of the ill-gotten wealth case;
Sandiganbayan Resolution dated September 25, 2019 on Civil Case 0008 dismissing the P1.052 billion ill-gotten wealth case against Bienvenido Tantoco Sr., the Marcos couple, among others, in connection with the Tantoco clan’s 11 real estate properties located in the Philippines, Hawaii and Rome; shares of stocks in 19 companies; cash on hand and in bank; pieces of jewelry; notes, loans and mortgages receivable; motor vehicles and three Cessna aircraft;
Sandiganbayan Resolution dated November 20, 2019 denying the Philippine government’s appeal on the dismissal of the P1.052 billion ill-gotten wealth case under Civil Case 0008;
Sandiganbayan Resolution dated August 5, 2019 for Civil Case 0034 dismissing the P102-billion forfeiture case against Marcos Sr. and Imelda, as well as 11 of their alleged cronies; and
Sandiganbayan Resolution February 13, 2020 on Civil Case 0034 denying the Philippine government’s appeal on the August 2019 dismissal of P102 billion ill-gotten wealth case against Marcos Sr. and Imelda, as well as their 11 other alleged cronies.
Civil Case 0014 accuses couple Rebecco and Erlinda Panlilio — alleged business associates of the Marcoses— of acting as dummies in acquiring ownership/control of several companies by securing financial assistance from state institutions on liberal terms “for their financial and pecuniary interests.”
These companies include Ternate Development Corp., Monte Sol Development Corporation, Olas del Mar Development Corporation, Fantasia Filipina Resort, Inc., Sulo Dobbs, Inc., Philippine Village, Inc., Silahis International Hotel, Inc., and Hotel Properties, Inc.
Civil Case 0014 also alleges that the Panlilio couple — as well as Modesto Enriquez, Trinidad Diaz-Enriquez, Leandro Enriquez, Guillermo Gastrock, Ernesto Abalos and Gregorio Castillo — took advantage of their close ties with the Marcos couple to devise schemes and strategies “in order to enrich themselves at the expense of” the Philippine government.
Government prosecutors, led by Senior State Solicitor Romeo Galzote of the Office of the Solicitor General, posed no objections to the President’s move to adopt the aforementioned Sandiganbayan decisions as evidence during Wednesday’s proceedings.
Galzote said the prosecution will rest its case, but Sandiganbayan Second Division chair and Associate Justice Oscar Herrera Jr. asked; “What about [the evidence] for Imelda, Imee, Irene?”
Galzote and the rest of the state prosecutors responded that they will file a proper motion asking the court to declare that the rest of the Marcos family and Don Ferry — another defendant who has yet to present evidence — have waived their right to present evidence if they fail to present evidence on September 1, 22, and October 6 and 7.
When Justice Herrera said, “It should be only two days,” the government prosecutors agreed to set it on September 1 and 22 only instead.
