The Sandiganbayan rejected the Republic of the Philippines' move to present another witness and documents in the civil case regarding the ill-gotten money of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and former first lady Imelda Marcos.
In a ruling issued on June 13, the Sandiganbayan 4th Division refused the plea to present an anonymous officer of the Sandiganbayan 3rd Division, which handles Civil Case No. 009, due to lack of merit.
According to the court, the officer will testify on a transcript of stenographic notes concerning the statements of those who can no longer be traced or who declined to testify.
Also, the Republic filed Civil Case No. 0178 against private respondents Andres Africa, Victor Africa, Lourdes Africa, Nathalie Africa-Verceles, Jose Enrique Africa, Paul Delfin Africa, and others in 1997 through the Presidential Commission on Good Government.
The government sought to reclaim the 3,305 shares of stock in Eastern Telecommunications Philippines, Inc. that were allegedly held in trust for the late president and former first lady.
The plaintiff Republic of the Philippines asserted "circumstances beyond its control" in its motion for an extra witness, but the court ruled that the circumstances or grounds were insufficient to justify the motion.
The court also noted that the plaintiff admitted in its application that the PCGG is still searching for the locations of the potential witnesses as of March 20, 2023, or during the opening presentation of the plaintiff's evidence.
