Scam suspect Maslog, accused of faking own death, denied bail again

Paige Javier

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — The Sandiganbayan anti-graft court has denied anew the bail petition of Mary Ann Maslog in relation to the 1998 textbook scam graft case.</p><p>Maslog, who uses the alias Dr. Jesica Sese Francisco, would have been convicted in the case in 2019 but had been reported dead at the time, apparently to avoid prosecution and conviction.</p><p>On December 12,2024, Maslog filed a second motion for reconsideration, seeking to reverse the Court&#x27;s Minute Resolution dated December 6,2024.</p><p>The said resolution &quot;denied her Very Respectful Urgent Motion to Lift Bench Warrant and/or Post Bail&quot; filed on November 25,2024.</p><p>In its resolution dated December 19,2024, the Second Division denied Maslog&#x27;s motion for reconsideration for &quot;lack of merit.&quot; </p><p>The court cited Maslog&#x27;s previous and repeated acts of evasion, including jumping bail, using aliases and fleeing abroad in denying the motion, saying these &quot;demonstrate a blatant disregard for the judicial process and a high likelihood of flight if she is released.&quot; </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/8/fuming-bato-confronts-mary-ann-maslog-you-tried-to-convince-alice-guo-to-implicate-me-duterte-1728">Fuming Bato confronts Mary Ann Maslog: You tried to convince Alice Guo to implicate me, Duterte</a></div><p>It said Maslog&#x27;s bail jumping in 2017 was a grave violation of her legal obligations as a respondent.</p><p>&quot;Moreover, her behavior reveals a calculated pattern of evasion. By adopting multiple aliases, including &#x27;Dra. Jesica Sese Francisco&#x27;, she sought to obscure her identity and avoid apprehension,&quot; the court also said.</p><p>&quot;Despite overwhelming evidence, such as the fingerprint analysis. Conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), she persisted in claiming a false identity, showcasing her deliberate efforts to mislead authorities,&quot; the resolution read.</p><p>The NBI arrested Maslog last September 25 after the &quot;real&quot; Jesica Fransisco filed cases. The bureau has since charged Maslog for dozens of counts of falsification of public documents and violation of the Alias Law.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/9/malalimang-imbestigasyon-kay-textbook-scam-suspect-mary-ann-maslog-isinusulong-1922">Malalimang imbestigasyon kay textbook scam suspect Mary Ann Maslog isinusulong</a></div><p>In October 2024, Maslog&#x27;s lawyers maintained the NBI arrested a certain &quot;Jessica Francisco&quot; and not the suspect in the textbook scam case.</p><p>The anti-graft court said Maslog&#x27;s child reporting her as deceased adds to her record of evasion and shows an attempt to mislead authorities and evade prosecution.</p><p>It said granting bail after all these would erode public confidence in the judicial system.</p><p>The resolution was approved by Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Geraldine Faith Econg and Associate Justices Edgardo Caldona and Arthur Malabaguio.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OtxlHKOub_M?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>The Sandiganbayan said Maslog's bail jumping in 2017 was a grave violation of her legal obligations as a respondent.</p>

The Sandiganbayan said Maslog's bail jumping in 2017 was a grave violation of her legal obligations as a respondent.

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Scam suspect Maslog, accused of faking own death, denied bail again

Scam suspect Maslog, accused of faking own death, denied bail again

Paige Javier,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 12, 2025 01:13 PM PHT

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Mary Ann Maslog

Textbook scam

Sandiganbayan

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