THE Sandiganbayan on Friday acquitted former senator and current Presidential Chief Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile, his former chief of staff Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes, and detained businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles of 15 graft charges linked to the multibillion-peso Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam.
In a 193-page ruling, the Sandiganbayan Third Division said prosecutors failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Enrile conspired with Reyes and Napoles to receive P172.83 million in kickbacks from his PDAF allocations.
The court said there was not enough evidence to show that the three funneled public funds to bogus nongovernment organizations controlled by Napoles.
It also clarified that there is “no civil liability imposed upon Enrile.”
The 101-year-old Enrile attended the promulgation through Zoom while lying on a hospital bed and connected to an oxygen tank, accompanied by his lawyer.
Napoles, however, was held civilly liable and ordered to return millions to the Bureau of Treasury.
Reyes, who was present during the reading of the decision, broke down in tears upon hearing the verdict.
This latest judgment follows their earlier acquittal on plunder charges, after the Office of the Ombudsman’s evidence was deemed insufficient.
The resolution was originally set for promulgation in September but was deferred when one member of the Special Third Division sought further deliberation.
The cases stemmed from complaints filed in 2014 by former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales.
Enrile, along with fellow senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada, was indicted during the Benigno Aquino III administration for alleged involvement in the massive pork barrel scheme from 2004 to 2010.
In 2015, the Supreme Court granted Enrile bail on humanitarian grounds due to his advanced age and medical condition.
Revilla has since been acquitted of plunder and 16 graft charges. Estrada was cleared of plunder but still faces 11 pending graft cases before the Sandiganbayan’s Special Fifth Division.
Napoles remains detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City for a separate plunder conviction involving P517 million in Revilla’s PDAF.
Reyes, meanwhile, was released in January 2023 after almost 10 years in detention.
