Sandiganbayan allows withdrawal of 1 of 3 charges vs ex-Gov Ampatuan, others mb.com.ph - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mb.com.ph Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Published July 3, 2021, 12:25 PM
Sandiganbayan
The Sandiganbayan has acquitted former Mayor Rodrigo M. Wenceslao of Merida town in Leyte of two graft and 20 malversation charges.
In a decision, the anti-graft court ruled that the prosecution failed to properly identity and authenticate the documentary evidence it presented to establish Wenceslao’s guilt.
The court stressed that no evidentiary weight can be given to the photocopies or certified true copies of the disbursement vouchers that were merely marked and offered but were never presented during trial.
“Be that as it may, even if the Court would give weight to the disbursement vouchers, the prosecution still has not sufficiently established the element of appropriation, taking or misappropriation of public funds through falsification of public document,” the decision written by Associate Justice Ronald B. Moreno stated.
Published June 28, 2021, 12:26 PM
Sandiganbayan
The Sandiganbayan has ordered the lawyer of the late Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Chairperson and former Sulu Gov. Yusop Hussin Jikiri to explain the filing of a motion for reconsideration despite his manifestation on the death of his client.
In a resolution, the anti-graft court warned that “the Court will be constrained to act accordingly” if the lawyer, Jose Ventura Aspiras, fails to comply with its directive.
Jikiri, together with Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Field Unit XI Executive Director Oscar Parawan, were sentenced last Nov. 27, 2020 to a total of 16 to 26 years imprisonment on charges of graft and malversation.
Ex-PNP chief Verzosa, 5 others get 6 to 8 years jail term for graft mb.com.ph - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mb.com.ph Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Published May 26, 2021, 4:23 PM
Sandiganbayan
The Sandiganbayan has denied anew the plea for former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile to have the testimonies of the witnesses against him in his plunder and graft cases be presented orally in open court during a hearing.
Enrile argued that his constitutional right to confrontation will be “impaired” with the use of judicial affidavits against his will, and he stressed that “where the rules allow him to decide on specific methods to be employed in his trial, such decision must be respected, not negated.”
Specifically, Enrile wanted to “require the prosecution to present the direct testimonies of their witnesses, including that of Atty. Ryan P. Medrano’s, in oral form and in open court.”