Sandiganbayan resets to June 21 resolution on Enrile's P172M plunder case

The Sandiganbayan reset to June 21 the resolution of the demurrer to evidence filed by then Senate president and now Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile who sought the dismissal of his P172 million plunder case.

The resolution of Enrile's demurrer, which had been allowed by the anti-graft court, had been set for resolution this May.  Sandiganbayan Third Division Clerk of Court Dennis Pulma confirmed the resetting to June 21.

If Enrile’s demurrer is granted, he will be acquitted of the plunder charge.  If it is denied, the trial on his plunder case will proceed.

The motions to file demurrer to evidence by Enrile’s co-accused – his former chief of staff Atty. Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes and businessman Janet Lim Napoles -- were denied by the court.

They were charged with plunder and 15 counts of graft in the alleged misuse of the former senator's P172-million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) which reportedly went to the non-government organizations (NGOs) owned by Napoles.

In 2015, Enrile was allowed to post bail. In January 2023, the Supreme Court (SC) granted the plea of Reyes for a habeas corpus petition and ordered her release from jail.

Napoles is now detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City due to her convictions in other criminal cases.

Trial on Enrile's 15 graft charges is still ongoing.