Jonathan Frederic De Santos

The Sandiganbayan building in Quezon City. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

Article (news)

Kaxandra Salonga

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — The Sandiganbayan Sixth Division has dismissed the government&#x27;s case to forfeit over $5 million in alleged unexplained wealth held in Swiss bank accounts of the late former Leyte Governor Benjamin &quot;Kokoy&quot; Romualdez and his wife, Juliette Gomez-Romualdez, in its favor.Romualdez, brother to former First Lady Imelda Romualdez, was a former governor of Leyte and a former diplomat. Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, the former House speaker, is his son.In a resolution promulgated on Thursday, the anti-graft court granted the respondents&#x27; motion to dismiss on the grounds of &quot;judicial stability&quot; or non-interference with a co-equal body.The court ruled that it cannot interfere with earlier orders issued by the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division, which had already ordered the release of the same funds to the Romualdezes in October 2025.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/5/21/sandiganbayan-orders-release-of-assets-to-imelda-marcos-late-brother-0736">Sandiganbayan orders release of assets to Imelda Marcos&#x27; late brother </a></div>“The Court, being co-equal with the Fourth Division, and without the authority to annul its acts, cannot interfere in the said ruling, respecting the doctrine of non-interference,” the court, chaired by Associate Justice Sarah Jane Fernandez, stated.In 2011, the Office of the Ombudsman filed a forfeiture petition, docketed as SB-11-CVL-0003. The Fourth Division dismissed it in 2018, citing lack of authority.The Ombudsman did not refile the case for seven years, and, in October 2025, the court said the delay resulted in an &quot;abandonment or waiver&quot; of the government&#x27;s right to seek forfeiture.The Office of the Solicitor General eventually re-filed the petition under a new docket (SB-25-CVL-0001) on November 2025, just days after the Fourth Division denied their motion for reconsideration regarding the release of the funds.The case was elevated to the Supreme Court via a Petition for Certiorari filed in January 2026.

The Sandiganbayan Sixth Division has dismissed a bid by the government to forfeit over $5 million in alleged unexplained wealth held in Swiss bank accounts of the late former Leyte Governor Benjamin "Kokoy" Romualdez and his wife, Juliette Gomez-Romualdez.

The Sandiganbayan Sixth Division has dismissed a bid by the government to forfeit over $5 million in alleged unexplained wealth held in Swiss bank accounts of the late former Leyte Governor Benjamin "Kokoy" Romualdez and his wife, Juliette Gomez-Romualdez.

Anti-graft court dismisses $5-M forfeiture case vs Kokoy Romualdez

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Anti-graft court dismisses $5-M forfeiture case vs Kokoy Romualdez

Kaxandra Salonga,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 19, 2026 07:59 PM PHT

Read More:

Sandiganbayan

Kokoy Romualdez

forfeiture

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