Members of the Marcos family lost a round at the Sandiganbayan, as the antigraft court denied, for lack of merit, their motion to reacquire properties and assets that were earlier declared by another government entity as illegally obtained.
In a resolution promulgated on Thursday, the Sandiganbayan’s Fourth Division rejected the family’s plea to reacquire several properties that were earlier seized by the Presidential Commission on Good Government.
The petitioners named in the resolution were the Estate of Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. represented by Imelda Marcos, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Irene Marcos-Araneta, and Constante Rubio, a close associate of the elder Marcos.
On August 5, 2022, Imelda and Irene Marcos filed an Omnibus Motion for the issuance of a Writ of Execution to transfer properties and assets seized by the PCGG back to their family.
The antigraft court on January 25, 2023 resolved to deny their motion for writ of execution. The Marcoses then filed a motion to partially reconsider the denial on February 17.
Twenty-three different properties and assets listed in the anti-graft court’s resolution.
The Marcoses based their motion on the supposed “illegal” transfers of these properties and assets to the PCGG “by virtue of compromise agreements and the lack of authority of the PCGG in entering into such contracts.”
“The court is not persuaded,” the resolution said.
In the resolution, the Fourth Division of the antigraft court argued that these properties and assets were illegally obtained, as determined by the PCGG.
It also cited similar cases against the defendants involving the same illegally obtained properties.
“In those cases, the Supreme Court had already upheld the validity of the Compromise Agreements executed by the parties involving the recovery of certain properties and the authority of the PCGG to enter such agreements,” it said.