SC Affirms Dismissal Of Ill-Gotten Wealth Case vs Late Dictator, Cronies

The Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed the anti-graft court’s dismissal of a P1.052 billion ill-gotten wealth lawsuit against the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr., his wife Imelda, and their business associates for insufficient evidence.

Photo Insert: A popular street uprising toppled the dictator’s regime in February 1986, forcing him and his family to flee into exile in the United States.

In a 26-page decision dated March 29 and made public on July 18, the tribunal agreed with the Sandiganbayan that government prosecutors had failed to prove that Mr. Marcos and his wife conspired with their cronies to amass ill-gotten assets.

“Upon the Sandiganbayan’s evaluation of the remaining admissible evidence, it concluded that such pieces of evidence were either insufficient to prove the allegations of the expanded complaint, or were unrelated to the facts sought to be proved by the petitioner,” it said.

The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) filed the case in 1987 and accused the Marcos family’s business associates of acting as dummies by buying and acquiring properties.

The agency alleged that Dominador R. Santiago, who owned Tourist Duty Free Shops, allowed 5% of its taxes to be diverted to the Nutrition Center of the Philippines, which was headed by Mrs. Marcos, and the Manila Seedling Bank, which was run by businessman Bienvenido Tantoco, Sr.

The PCCG said the associates gained tax exemptions in exchange for illegally acquiring assets for the Marcoses. Cleared were Mr. Santiago, Mr. Tantoco and his son Bienvenido Jr., Maria Lourdes Tantoco-Pineda, and Gliceria R. Tantoco.

“In the face of such gaps, the petitioner’s allegations in its expanded complaint are reduced to mere speculations, insinuations, and conjectures,” the High Court said.

A popular street uprising toppled the dictator’s regime in February 1986, forcing him and his family to flee into exile in the United States. That same year, his successor, the late Corazon C. Aquino, set up the PCGG to go after ill-gotten assets of the elder Marcos, his family, and cronies that were amassed during his two-decade rule.

His son and namesake is now the Philippine president. The Sandiganbayan in March denied the Marcos family’s appeal to regain control of some frozen bank accounts and properties seized by the government.

Political experts have said an unfavorable judgment against the Marcoses could lead to a constitutional crisis since law enforcers are under the president. In 2003, the High Court awarded the Philippine government $658 million (P36 billion) of the dictator’s frozen Swiss bank deposits.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic