The anti-graft court dismissed another civil case against former first lady Imelda Marcos, late former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., and his cronies due to a lack of evidence that they hid the supposed ill-gotten wealth.
Other defendants involved in the case are Peter Sabdio, Luis Yulo, Roberto Benedicto, Nicolas Dehesa, Jose Tengco, Rafael Sison, Cesar Zalamea, Don Ferry, and corporations including Lianga Bay Logging Co., Phil. Integrated Meat Corporation, YKR Corporation, and PIMECO Marketing Corporation.
In the 156-page resolution dated February 21 released on Wednesday, the Sandigan Bayan fifth division said the "totality of evidence" presented by prosecutors failed to demonstrate that defendants made use of "schemes and strategies" to hide the alleged ill-gotten wealth.
It said that the evidence also failed to show that the Marcoses "controlled" and "beneficially owned" several dummy or front corporations.
"Particularly, no competent evidence was submitted to show that the former President had any hand in YKR, Lianga, and all other corporations listed in the amended complaint, or in the acquisition of defendant Yulo's shares in his own name," the resolution reads.
"Furthermore, there was no evidence presented establishing the relationship of trust or close association of the defendants to the former president or any member of his family. "Hence, the evidence was not sufficient to prove the plaintiff's allegation that the subject properties were ill-gotten," it said.
In October 2019, the Sandigan Bayan Fourth Division also junked a civil case against the Marcoses, which involved the forfeiture of an estimated Php 267 million worth of alleged ill-gotten wealth through spouses Fe and Ignacio Gimenez, because of insufficiency of evidence.
