Marcoleta case possible speedy disposition ‘may break record’

MANILA, Philippines — The possible speedy disposition of  the plunder case of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta may possibly break the record, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Friday. 

Remulla made this remark as Ombudsman’s special prosecutors finished presenting its evidence before the Sandiganbayan Third Division on the first day of plunder trial last week.

READ: Prosecution rests case vs Marcoleta on first day of plunder trial

Marcoleta was charged with plunder for accepting an alleged P75 million donation while sitting as a party-list lawmaker. His co-accused involved his donors, former Rep. Mike Defensor, and businessmen Joseph Espiritu and Aristotle Viray.

“When he asked for a bail hearing, we thought it best to present all our evidence immediately,” Remulla said in a press conference. “We rested our case already, which means it’s his turn to present evidence in the next hearings.”

Remulla said the prosecution’s presentation of evidence was fast because “everything [was] admitted” by Marcoleta in his TV program where he said “friends” gave him campaign contributions in exchange of keeping their identities anonymous.

“So there’s only one question: whether or not he committed plunder, and that’s what we have presented before the court,” Remulla said.

“The evidence, we don’t really have to prove many of them, but we just have to remind the court that these records exist, these admissions are there … there was no rebuttal,” he continued. “I mean, even the cross-examinations did not yield anything.”

Remulla noted that it only took more than three months for special prosecutors to finish its presentation of evidence on Oct. 8 from the time it filed the case on July 3. 

He said they expect Marcoleta’s camp to present their evidence within that time frame.

“We might be breaking records here, especially if the Sandiganbayan will really do its job, in less than one year, a case could be done,” he said.

Remulla noted that some of the anti-graft cases reach up to 15 years.

“The gestation period of cases … when I look at the cases in PDAF (Presidential Development Assistance Fund), and you look at the cases of fertilizer funds scam, you have to look at the cases that were filed in the past, most of the time, they reach up to 15 years,” he said. /mr