The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld its decision granting the appeal of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile for production of evidence in the plunder case filed against him before the Sandiganbayan in relation to the pork barrel cases.
During its en banc session in Baguio City, the SC junked the motion for reconsideration of the Office of the Ombudsman seeking a reversal of its decision that overturned the Sandiganbayan’s ruling in 2014 denying Enrile’s motion for bill of particulars.
The tribunal also ordered the anti-graft body and its prosecution team “to submit a bill of particulars, providing the information to be contained in the Court’s judgment.”
Among the information and details sought by Enrile in his petition were the names of persons who delivered and received the kickbacks or commissions, the dates of each delivery, the breakdown of the alleged P172,834,500 worth of kickbacks or commissions, the projects financed by the pork barrel funds and the names of the non-government organization involved.
With this ruling, the senator has been given “the opportunity to confirm or change the [not guilty] plea that the Sandiganbayan entered for him, if he so wishes.”
However, the SC clarified that this would not mean a rearraignment of Enrile before the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division chaired by Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje–Tang.
In August last year, the SC granted the bid of Enrile to be temporarily released from detention while facing plunder cases in the anti-graft court.
The high court granted his petition challenging the ruling of the Sandiganbayan in July last year that denied his motion to post bail. It allowed him to post a bail bond of P1 million in his plunder case.
Enrile argued that the Sandiganbayan violated his constitutional right to a fair trial.