THE Sandiganbayan has affirmed the decision of an anti-graft court denying the request of former first lady Imelda Marcos and her daughter Irene Araneta Marcos for the release of some of their properties that have long been claimed to be ill-gotten wealth.
In a resolution promulgated on May 4, 2023, the Sandiganbayan denied the motion for reconsideration filed by the Marcoses on February 17, 2023, seeking to overturn the decision of its fourth division issued on January 25.
“A Motion for Reconsideration should be denied when the same only constitutes a rehash of issues previously put forward. A careful reading of the defendants’ motion shows that they did not present any new arguments which would warrant a reconsideration of the Court’s Resolution dated 25 January 2023,” the resolution reads.
“After thoughtful consideration thereof, as well as the records of this case, the Court still does not find any cogent reason to overturn its earlier pronouncements. In view of the foregoing, the defendants failed to show a good reason to justify the discretionary execution of the Decision dated 16 December 2019. The Court thus maintains its earlier pronouncement in the Resolution dated 25 January 2023,” it added.
The anti-graft court, in its January 25 decision, denied the motion filed by the Marcoses for the said purpose in August 2022 due to lack of merit.
It involves 22 properties denominated as frozen accounts, surrendered by virtue of compromise agreements, sequestered (but) not in the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) custody and sequestered under the PCGG’s control and supervision.
The said properties were allegedly illegally acquired by the family during the administration of its patriarch, former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
The Marcoses said in their appeal that the properties that were transferred to the government or third parties were not yet moot and academic, as they should be considered null and void. They added that the PCGG was only acting as a conservator of the said properties, which was considered ill-gotten wealth. (SunStar Philippines)