Sandigan to Revilla: Present evidence now
The Sandiganbayan has ordered former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. to stop feigning ignorance of the allegations against him and instead proceed with his presentation of counter-evidence to disprove his alleged involvement in the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam.
In a three-page resolution dated June 14, the court’s First Division denied Revilla’s motion to compel the prosecution to identify or describe each of the documentary and testimonial evidence it presented against him.
The First Division said it is “purposeless and a superfluity” to still require the prosecution to describe each of the evidence it has presented considering that the court had already admitted all of them and affirmed that they are strong enough to secure a conviction for plunder if the accused will not present a counter-evidence.
The anti-graft court, in the ruling penned by division chairman Associate Justice Efren de la Cruz, said Revilla should “intelligently and accurately prepare for his defense and present counter-evidence on his behalf.”
It was in October last year when the prosecution finished its presentation of evidence for its plunder case against Revilla and his coaccused, his former chief of staff Richard Cambe and businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.
Cambe finished his presentation of evidence last month while Napoles said she would just adopt the evidence to be presented by Cambe and Revilla.
Revilla’s turn to present evidence was supposed to start on Thursday but it was reset to June 26 after his camp filed the “urgent motion.”
Revilla, through Cambe, is accused of receiving from Napoles P224.5 million in kickbacks or commissions in exchange for the allocation of his Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel to the latter’s bogus non-government organizations.
The First Division had earlier ruled that Revilla’s presentation of evidence shall already commence as he failed to secure a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court in connection with the petition for review he filed last January challenging the Sandiganbayan’s denial of his motion to file a demurrer.