(Eagle News) — The Ombudsman will no longer appeal the Sandiganbayan’s acquittal of Senator Bong Revilla in the 16 graft cases filed against him in relation to the “pork barrel scam.”
In a statement released on Thursday, July 8, the Ombudsman said it respects the first division’s decision granting Revilla’s demurrer to evidence with a vote of 3-2.
The Ombudsman said the move to no longer appeal was consistent with Ombudsman Samuel Martires’ policy of “no longer challenging the dismissal of cases/quashal of information and judgments of acquittal, either through a motion to dismiss, a demurrer to evidence or by a decision, rendered by the trial courts or the Sandiganbayan except when the People was clearly deprived of due process or there was mistrial.”
A demurrer to evidence is a motion to dismiss on the ground of insufficiency of evidence.
According to the Ombudsman, the grant of the court of the demurrer is tantamount to an acquittal because the defendant is “cleared of the criminal case and is no longer required to present his evidence.”
In granting the demurrer, the first division said the prosecution failed to establish that his wife, Lani, “did not have her own independent source of income.”
“The prosecution, too, did not present evidence that Revilla did not have any other source of income from the years 2006-2009 aside from his work,” the division said.
Revilla was also cleared of plunder in relation to the “pork barrel scam” in 2018.
