Revilla asks SC anew to stop Sandiganbayan proceedings on plunder raps

FILE PHOTO (Photo: PNA)

MANILA — Detained former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. filed anew a petition before the Supreme Court (SC) seeking to stop the proceedings at the Sandiganbayan in connection with the PHP224.5-million plunder and graft cases filed against him for alleged misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel.

In a seven-page manifestation and urgent motion for interim measures, Revilla reiterated his prayer for the SC to issue or a writ of preliminary injunction or an order restraining further proceedings in his plunder case, particularly those for the reception of his evidence.

He said the Sandiganbayan has compelled him to present evidence for his defense specifically against the 5,134 pieces of evidence it has admitted.

But Revilla said none of the 5,134 pieces of evidence has shown that the basic elements of plunder exists.

“Given these injudicious circumstances, petitioner was constrained to give up several trial dates out of the 60 dates allowed by the Sandiganbayan for him to present evidence and he is already in peril of losing all the dates allowed for his defense,” the motion stated dated March 16.

He also asked the tribunal to require the Sandiganbayan to comment and himself to reply to the anti-graft court’s pleading.

“Finally, to grant petitioner provisional liberty until the final disposition of the instant petition,” the motion said.

Revilla said he has been in detention since June 20, 2014 or 1,371 days which violates his right to due process, right to be presumed innocent until the contrary is proved, right to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation against him and right to an impartial trial.

Revilla also asked the SC to set his earlier petition for certiorari in oral arguments.

Last January, Revilla already filed a petition before the Supreme Court accusing the Sandiganbayan of violating his constitutional rights.

Revilla told the SC that while the anti-graft court has denied his motions, it has accepted all the evidence presented by the prosecution even if the evidence, he added, does not point directly to his alleged participation in the pork barrel scam.

The former senator explained that under the law, plunder is supposed to be committed by a series of overt acts but that in the case filed against him, the prosecution failed to present evidence to show the overt acts he committed, except for his endorsement of the non-government organization of Janet Lim Napoles.

This, he stressed, does not identify or show the particular overt acts committed but rather describes an entire process within which those acts are to be found. Still, he said the anti-graft court ignored these, proceeded to dismiss his motions and continued with the trial of his case.

Of the three former lawmakers charged in the pork barrel fund scam, Revilla is the only one left in detention at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

Revilla, together with former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and former Senator Jinggoy Estrada have been charged with plunder, a non-bailable offense along with alleged brains of the pork barrel scam Janet Lim-Napoles. All three have been detained in 2014.

However, both Enrile and Estrada were able to post bail for their temporary liberty. In 2015, the high court allowed Enrile to post bail for humanitarian reasons while Estrada was allowed by the Sandiganbayan to post bail in 2017.

In August 2015, the SC granted the petition for bail of former senator Juan Ponce Enrile in the same plunder case with Janet Lim Napoles before the Sandiganbayan due to his “advanced age and poor health.”

The Sandiganbayan special fifth division granted Estrada’s plea last September.