Sandiganbayan summons PGH director to testify on Enrile’s condition

Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile (Facebook photo)

MANILA — The Sandiganbayan Third Division on Tuesday has summoned the director of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) to testify on the medical condition of Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile who is facing plunder and multiple counts of graft in connection with the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam.

The anti-graft court made public their subpoena ad testificandum to compel PGH Director Dr. Jose Gonzales and the health practitioners who checked Enrile to appear on Thursday’s hearing.

“You are hereby commanded to appear before the Sandiganbayan, Third Division, on the fourth day of September, 2014, at 1:30 in the afternoon to be present at the hearing, then and there to testify in the above-entitled case pending therein.

Fail not under penalty of law,” the subpoena said.

Enrile was accused of pocketing public funds through kickbacks and ‎commissions in conspiracy with other respondents in the amount of more than P172 million in pork barrel funds.

The nonagenarian Senate Minority Leader has been staying at the Philippine National Police General Hospital in Camp Crame while awaiting court ruling on his petition to be placed under hospital arrest.

He was accused of diverting his pork barrel funds to the bogus non-governments (NGOs) owned by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles from 2004 to 2010.

Earlier, the anti-graft court asked the doctors to determine the physical health status of Enrile who was proven weak and needs medical attention.