Sandiganbayan denies provisionary release of Enrile’s ex-aide

THE ANTI- GRAFT court Sandiganbayan denied the motion for provisional release fi led by Jessica Lucila ‘Gigi’ Reyes, former chief of staff ex-senator Juan Ponce Enrile, who has been detained for six years over her involvement in the controversial pork barrel scam. Ms. Reyes filed her motion on May 28 based on humanitarian grounds, citing the risk of contracting the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at the Camp Bagong Diwa, which she described as a “congested detention facility with occupants exponentially more than its maximum capacity.” The Sandiganbayan, voting 3-2, rejected the plea saying “there is no positive showing that accused Reyes is in actual or even imminent danger of being infected by the COVID-19.” The anti- graft court said that during its visits to Camp Bagong Diwa, it was shown the “cell where accused Reyes will be detained by herself separate from the other detainees.” It further negated the “probability that she would be infected by the virus from other inmates.” Ms. Reyes was diagnosed with hypertensive urgency and neuro-circulatory asthenia in 2014. The anti- graft court, however, said these issues have already been medically diagnosed as not life-threatening. “It is worthy to mention that compared to other detention facilities where there has been transmission of COVID-19 among its detainees and staff, there is no report that there are inmates, or even personnel, of Camp Bagong Diwa who have tested positive for COVID-19,” the court said. An impasse of votes in the regular division prompted the Third Division of Sandiganbayan to create a special division, in which two special members were needed to “break a tie.”