The Sandiganbayan on Friday acquitted former Senate president and now Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile in the P172-million plunder case filed against him and several others in connection with the alleged misuse of his pork barrel, officially known as the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).
These case, which involved siphoning off public funds for the benefit of lawmakers and fake non-government organizations (NGOs) linked to businesswoman Janet Napoles, were filed 10 years ago before the anti-graft court made its ruling.
Here are the significant events that took place prior to the ruling:
April 1, 2014: Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales announces that her office has found sufficient evidence to file plunder and graft charges against Enrile, his chief of staff Jessica “Gigi” Reyes, and Napoles, among others, with the Sandiganbayan in connection with the pork barrel scam.
June 6 and 9 2014: The Ombudsman files plunder and graft charges, respectively, against Enrile, Reyes, and several others with the Sandiganbayan.
June 9, 2014: Enrile says he is ready to die in his cell in light of the plunder and graft charges lodged against him.
June 13, 2014: Enrile files a petition for bail with the Sandiganbayan, citing his bad health.
July 7, 2014: The Sandiganbayan orders the arrest of Enrile, Reyes and their 24 others. On the same day, Enrile asks the Sandiganbayan to place him under hospital arrest, particularly in the Philippine National Police General Hospital, pending the resolution of his motion for bail.
July 25, 2014: The Sandiganbayan orders Enrile’s suspension from his post for 90 days due to the cases filed against him.
August 7, 2014: Enrile asks the Supreme Court to stop the ongoing Sandiganbayan plunder trial, saying the anti-graft court committed grave abuse of discretion since it is already asking him to present evidence based on ambiguous and insufficient criminal information filed by state prosecutors.
August 22, 2014: The Sandiganbayan denies Enrile’s motion for reconsideration against his suspension as a senator for lack of merit. During the same trial, Commission on Audit assistant commissioner Susan Garcia testifies that the release of the fund from Enrile’s pork barrel to five non-government organizations associated with Napoles are irregular because Enrile’s PDAF funds were released to implementing agencies without these agencies requesting for such allocation.
September 2014: Then-Senate President Franklin Drilon starts the implementation of the 90-day suspension order against Enrile.
August 18 2015: The Supreme Court grants Enrile’s petition for bail due to humanitarian reasons. The decision was penned by then-Supreme Court Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin, who is now the Executive Secretary of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
August 20, 2015: Enrile posts P1.4-million bail bond before the Sandiganbayan.
September 2015: The Office of the Ombudsman appeals the Supreme Court decision allowing Enrile to post bail based on humanitarian grounds.
January 2017: The Sandiganbayan junks Enrile’s bid to dismiss the P172-million plunder case against him, disputing his claims that the charges were ambiguous and contained insufficient information.
April 2017: The Sandiganbayan affirms its January 2017 resolution dismissing Enrile’s bid to junk the plunder case against him.
December 2018: The Supreme Court affirms its August 2015 decision allowing Enrile to post bail due to humanitarian considerations
January 2021: Sandiganbayan denies Enrile’s bid to junk testimony of prosecution witness and lawyer Ryan Medrano, ruling that Medrano — as one of the members of the Special Team I formed by the Office of the Ombudsman that conducted a fact-finding investigation on the release and use of Enrile’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) — is an investigator who could testify on the authenticity, due execution and contents of, among others, the complaint he and his team prepared.
May 2021: The Sandiganbayan affirms its January 2021 resolution allowing Medrano’s testimony to be included as prosecution evidence.
January 2023: The Supreme Court grants the petition for writ of habeas corpus or right against illegal detention filed by Reyes, Enrile’s former chief-of-staff, and ordered Reyes’ release from detention. The high court said Reyes should be released due to “inordinate delay” in the plunder case lodged against her.
February 2023: The officer-in-charge (OIC) at the City of Manila’s Bureau of Permit Administrative Services testifies that the agricultural products supplier in Enrile’s pork barrel case has no license to operate
March 2023: A Department of Budget and Management (DBM) official tells Sandiganbayan that Enrile asked then-DBM Secretary Rolando Andaya to release his PDAF to NGOs linked to Napoles.
During the same month, a retired municipal agricultural officer (MAO) from Natividad, Pangasinan testifies before the Sandiganbayan that his municipality did not receive the agricultural packages and kits named in the 15 counts of graft charges filed Enrile and his co-accused.
April 13, 2023: Two municipal agriculturists from La Union and Davao Oriental testify before the Sandiganbayan that their areas did not receive the agricultural packages and livelihood projects identified in the 15 graft charges filed against Enrile and his co-acccused.
April 27, 2023: Former COA assistant commissioner Susan Garcia testifies that Enrile’s office submitted confirmation documents stating that it received the items purchased by the NGOs linked to Napoles using Enrile’s PDAF.
May 2023: A Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) official testifies that the supplier of liquid fertilizer in transactions funded by Enrile’s PDAF from 2004 to 2010 has no license to do business.
October 2023: Sandiganbayan allows Enrile to file motion to dismiss the P172-million plunder case without the defense presenting evidence. Days later, Enrile files a motion seeking the immediate dismissal of his plunder case, citing his advanced age.
November 2023: Reyes tells Sandiganbayan that Enrile cannot recall confirming to COA that she signed off on transferring PDAF funds to Napoles-linked NGOs.
February 2024: The Supreme Court, in a 32-page decision, allows the Sandiganbayan to proceed with its trial on Enrile’s plunder case, saying that the prosecution should be allowed to present evidence at its discretion. This SC decision, however, was only released in July 2024.
October 4, 2024: The Sandiganbayan Third Division finds Enrile, Reyes and Napoles not guilty in the plunder case, saying state prosecutors failed to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt. —KBK, GMA Integrated News
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