THE Liberal Party (LP) of the Philippines called for more serious action against stolen wealth.
This comes as the Supreme Court reversed former first lady Imelda Marcos’ 2018 anti-graft conviction covering seven counts of graft linked to Swiss foundations created during her husband’s presidency. The high tribunal ruled that key Swiss bank documents presented by state prosecutors were not properly authenticated, rendering them inadmissible and insufficient to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The court said that the prosecution failed to demonstrate that the entities involved qualified as prohibited business interests under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
“The acquittal of Imelda Marcos on seven counts of graft is a decision concerning a specific criminal case. But one thing remains clear and undeniable: the Marcos family has ill-gotten wealth... In 2003, the Supreme Court itself ordered that hundreds of millions of dollars in Swiss deposits belonging to the Marcoses be forfeited in favor of the Republic, after recognizing them as ill-gotten wealth. This fact is part of our jurisprudence and has become part of the country’s official history,” the LP said in Filipino in a statement late on Thursday.
“The more serious issue now is why it took more than three decades for this case to finally be resolved... This is where we should be angry — and remain vigilant,” it added.
The party called for stronger case-building in cases involving stolen wealth, noting that accountability must be ensured while the evidence is still fresh and the witnesses are still alive.
“This acquittal is a reminder of how high the cost can be when the State is slow and weak in pursuing corruption. With every case allowed to drag on until the evidence grows weaker, injustice deepens — and the public loses more faith that those in power will ever truly be held accountable,” it said.
The high court’s ruling also received flak from the August Twenty One Movement, Tindig Pilipinas, and Project Gunita.
