Ombudsman raises questions over Enrile bail

Central Office of the Ombudsman Building, Agham Road, North Triangle Diliman, Quezon City
(Photo from Wikipedia/Judgefloro)

MANILA – The Office of the Ombudsman submitted a motion for reconsideration to the Supreme Court (SC), challenging its ruling on granting temporary freedom to Senator Juan Ponce Enrile while his graft and plunder case remained pending.

After being detained for more than a year, Enrile came back to the Senate as majority leader last month. He has been accused of misusing his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocation by funding bogus foundations and nongovernment organization’s ghost projects and programs in exchange of commissions.

With an 8-4 vote, the SC granted Enrile bail, citing ‘humanitarian reasons.’ Many, including Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, however, questioned the resolution and argued that the Court gave ‘special treatment’ towards the 91-year-old senator.

“We were wondering why they had to grant the petition because the ground given by the court was not even considered by the Sandiganbayan or by Enrile himself. He hasn’t raised that,” Morales said, clarifying that the senator only raised his ‘fragile state of health’ and requested for hospital confinement but not for a petition to file bail.

“They gave that ground, frail health, without giving the prosecution or the people the opportunity to controvert it,” she added, asserting that the case did not undergo due process.

Morales then claimed that the High Court painted ‘a picture of injustice, inequality, partiality and preference’ and asked the Court to reverse its earlier ruling.