SC denies with finality Revilla plea to stop plunder, graft trial

Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr.

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday denied with finality the plea of detained former Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla, Jr. to stop his trial at the Sandiganbayan for plunder and graft in connection with the alleged illegal utilization, diversion, and disbursement of his allocated Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) totaling P224.5-million.

The high court, sitting in en banc session, junked Revilla's motion for reconsideration and affirmed its assailed December 6, 2016 decision.

The motions for reconsideration of his co-accused namely, businesswoman and so-called “pork barrel” scam architect Janet Lim Napoles, Revilla's chief of staff Richard Cambe, Napoles' employees Ronald John Lim and John Raymund De Asis, and Budget Undersecretary Mario Relampagos were also junked.

No reason was given by the SC for the denial of the MRs in its press release to journalists.

In its December 2016 decision, voting 13-1, with former Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza inhibiting, the high court said it found no grave abuse of discretion on the part of the Office of the Ombudsman when it indicted Revilla, et al.

Revilla is facing one count of plunder and 16 counts of graft before the Sandiganbayan First Division for allegedly pocketing P224.5 million worth of kickbacks from ghost projects under the PDAF, from
2006 to 2010. His PDAF allocations were allegedly funneled to bogus foundations identified with Napoles.