Court seeks Revilla’s comment on seizure of assets

MANILA, Philippines – The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan sought for the side of detained Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr before resolving the matter of confiscating his P224 million ($5 million)* in alleged ill-gotten assets.

During their closed-door deliberations on Monday, October 27, the justices of the Sandiganbayan First Division resolved that issuing an ex-parte order on the temporary seizure of Revilla’s assets is unnecessary. 

An ex-parte issuance, which government lawyers had asked for, would no longer require Revilla’s comment.

Instead, the court ordered Revilla to file a comment within 5 days from receiving the Sandiganbayan notice. 

The prosecution is given another 5 days to reply to Revilla’s comment, according to a one-page order based on the Monday proceedings.

The justices considered that an ex-parte writ is necessary only to maintain the confidentiality of the planned confiscation and consequently prevent the accused from employing preemptive tactics of circumvention.

But the supposed “confidential” nature of the preliminary seizure can no longer apply since the matter had already been publicized by the press. (READ: Gov’t seeks to confiscate Revilla assets)

The Monday deliberation was done on the same day government prosecutors filed the subject ex-parte motion, a move that circulated in the media minutes after filing. 

The October 27 order was signed by justices Efren dela Cruz, Rodolfo Ponferrada, and Rafael Lagos.

The writ sought by the prosecution is issued by a court ahead of its decision on a case involving ill-acquired assets. The move is meant to secure payment from an accused and prevent the victim from being defrauded.

If such writ is issued against Revilla, P224 million in his assets will be under the court’s custody until such a time the court rules on his plunder case.

Revilla is facing plunder and graft charges before the Sandiganbayan First Division over the alleged diversion of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to ghost projects of dummy foundations.

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) earlier revealed that P87 million in cash deposits to Revilla’s and his family members’ accounts were made within 30 days after the alleged release of PDAF scam commissions to him, as recorded in state witness Benhur Luy’s ledger.

Revilla maintained these cash deposits bared by the AMLC come from legitimate earnings, including his product endorsements and television network talent fees. 

The prosecution had pointed out that TV networks pay in check, while the AMLC found cash deposits to be contrary to “usual business practice.” 

Like his father, Revilla was an action movie star prior to becoming a legislator. (READ: Revilla father, son transacted with Napoles – witness) – Rappler.com

*US$1 = P44.73