Sandiganbayan resets to Oct. 24 promulgation of decision on Enrile's graft charges
The Sandiganbayan reset to Oct. 24, the promulgation set on Friday, Sept. 12, of its decision on the 15 graft charges filed against Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile and other accused on the alleged misuse of his P172 million priority development assistance fund (PDAF) when he was senator.
The court’s Third Division Clerk of Court, lawyer Dennis Pulma, said during the scheduled promulgation: "There was a reflection submitted by one of the members of the Special Third Division in this case. As such, it is proper to defer the promulgation as the reflection will require further deliberation. Accordingly, the promulgation set for today is reset to Oct. 24, 2025."
Based on the anti-graft court’s earlier notice, the justices who handled the Enrile case are Associate Justices Ronald B. Moreno, Juliet M. Manalo-San Gaspar, and Edgardo M. Caldona.
It was not known immediately who among the three justices submitted a reflection on the case – a separate view on the issues involved in the case submitted for resolution.
Enrile was not present physically in court during the scheduled promulgation. He attended it online via Zoom. His co-accused and his former chief of staff Jessica “Gigi” Reyes was physically present in court. Another co-accused, businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles who is already detained due to previous convictions, also attended via Zoom.
The charges against Enrile stemmed from his alleged endorsement of his PDAF to the bogus non-government organizations (NGOs) owned by Napoles in exchange for alleged kickbacks. He is also facing a plunder charge before the Sandiganbayan’s third division.
In 2015, Enrile was allowed to post bail for his plunder charge. In January 2013, the Supreme Court (SC) granted the plea of Reyes for a habeas corpus petition and ordered her release from jail.
Aside from Enrile, two other senators were implicated in the multi-million PDAF scam.
Sen. Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada was cleared of plunder on Jan. 19, 2024, but he was found guilty of one count of direct bribery and two counts of indirect bribery.
Former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., on the other hand, was cleared of plunder and several counts of graft charges.