THE Sandiganbayan’s Judicial Records Division revealed that 20 forfeiture cases against the Marcos family and their cronies have been dismissed by the anti-graft court, with 21 more cases pending, and one indefinitely archived.
So far, only one case was ruled in favor of the government — Civil Case No. 0033-F — which involves the turnover to the state of P83 billion in assets acquired through the Coconut Industry Investment Fund (CIIF) or coco levy fund for the benefit of coconut farmers.
The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) filed all 43 cases in 1987, the year after dictator Ferdinand Marcos was ousted.
The anti-graft court’s Second Division on Monday, Aug. 5, dismissed Civil Case No. 0034 that seeks to claim from the Marcoses a total of P102 billion in moral and exemplary damages.
According to the Second Division, it dismissed the case for lack of evidence, with the PCGG, represented by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), only providing photocopies of documents. It failed to present key witnesses during the trial to authenticate their affidavits.
The PCGG, meanwhile, said it would appeal the dismissal of the P102-billion civil case against the Marcoses.
“I am still awaiting receipt of the official copy of the decision,” said PCGG acting chairman Reynold Munsayac.
“We will definitely consult the handling lawyers from the OSG and explore all possible legal remedies to pursue the case and protect the interests of the Republic,” he added.
Of the 21 pending cases, two have been submitted for resolution last year.
Civil Case No. 0008, which seeks to recover from the Marcoses and their cronies a total of P1.052 billion in alleged ill-gotten wealth composed of P609.27 million in shares of stocks and P443.05 million in real properties, was submitted for decision by the Second Division on Nov. 9, 2018.
Civil Case No. 0002, seeking to recover from Imelda and her children Imee, Bongbong and Irene a total of P200 billion worth of ill-gotten wealth allegedly amassed during martial law, was submitted for decision in August 2018.
