The Sandiganbayan has barred eight defendants from participating in the trial of a civil case filed by the Presidential Commission on Good Government to recover the government’s majority shares in Domestic Satellite Philippines Inc. which were allegedly illegally obtained by a private company through a supposedly disadvantageous contract entered into by the cronies of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II
(Gregorio Honasan FACEBOOK / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
In a 56-page resolution dated December 16, 2020, the anti-graft court granted the demurrer to evidence of Honasan and his co-accused, which is an objection made by the defense arguing that the evidence produced by the prosecution is insufficient in point of law and will not be enough to sustain a guilty verdict. Since the court granted it, the case was dismissed.
Honasan was earlier slapped with two counts of graft together with Political Affairs and Project Coordinator Chief Michael Benjamin, National Council of Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) Secretary Mehol Sadain, Acting Chief Accountant Fedelina Aldanese, Director III Galay Makalinggan, Acting Chief Aurora Aragon-Mabang, and Cashier Olga Galido, as well as private individuals from Focus – Giovanni Manuel Gaerlan and Salvador Gaerlan.