Not so fast, former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
The Philippines’ Office of the Ombudsman has filed a motion at the Sandiganbayan urging the court to compel Revilla to pay back the government treasury PHP124.5 million (US$2.389 million) in civil damages. The motion was dated Jan. 28 but it was only made public yesterday.
Revilla was acquitted of plunder by the Sandiganbayan on Dec. 7 but his co-accused, former staff Richard Cambe and businesswoman Janet Napoles, were convicted.
In 2014 the Ombudsman filed plunder cases against Revilla and his co-accused after the lawmaker allegedly funneled his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to questionable non-government organizations linked to Napoles.
The PDAF is a fund used by lawmakers for their priority projects. Aside from Revilla, also charged for allegedly committing the same crime were his then-colleagues in the Senate, Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce-Enrile, both of whom are currently out on bail.
In its verdict on Dec. 7, the Sandiganbayan said: “Pursuant to Article 100 of the Revised Penal Code, accused are held solidarily and jointly liable to return to the National Treasury the amount of P124,500,000.00.”
The Ombudsman said that if Revilla were excluded from returning the money, the verdict should have just mentioned Napoles and Cambe’s name. However, it used the word “accused” without any distinctions.
“In the third paragraph, however, without any qualification, the Majority held that the accused — referring to Revilla, Cambe, and Napoles who underwent trial,” the prosecutors wrote in their motion.
They also said: “Courts can acquit an accused on reasonable doubt but still order payment of civil damages in the same case.”
However, Revilla’s lawyer, Estelito Mendoza, is having none of it. He said that Revilla shouldn’t be made to pay damages because he was acquitted.
Mendoza told The Philippine Daily Inquirer: “In criminal cases, justice is served when the guilty party is found to have committed the offense charged beyond reasonable doubt, otherwise, he may not be punished by any measure.”
Revilla, who’s running for Senate this year, has other cases he has to deal with. He’s still facing 16 counts of graft, according to Rappler.
