THE Sandiganbayan has affirmed its Feb. 21, 2023 decision that dismissed Civil Case No. 0024, an ill-gotten wealth case against the late strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos, former assemblyman Peter Sabido, businessmen Luis Yulo and Nicolas Dehesa, and former Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) executives Rafael Sison and Don Ferry.
In a resolution issued Aug. 11, 2023 but released only this week, the anti-graft court’s Fifth Division denied the motion for reconsideration filed by plaintiff Republic of the Philippines seeking reversal of the ruling that there was insufficient evidence to prove that the properties subject of the case were ill-gotten or beneficially-owned by the Marcos family.
“For failure of the plaintiff to convince the court of the cogency of their position and finding no new matters or persuasive grounds to merit a reconsideration of its earlier decision, the court finds no convincing reason to depart from it,” the Sandiganbayan declared.
The original complaint filed on July 28, 1987 alleged that Sabido, taking advantage of his close relationship with then President Marcos, was able to amass unexplained wealth by taking over various businesses.
According to the Presidential Commission on Government (PCGG) and the Office of the Solicitor General, Sabido managed to secure loans from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) to finance his takeover of the Lianga Bay Logging Co and from DBP for his firm, Phil-Asia Food Industries Corp (PAFICO).
Yulo was accused of acting as a dummy for Marcos allegedly to help the latter accumulate ill-gotten wealth through the control of cattle and beef importation.
Through the issuance of Presidential Decree No. 1297, the Republic claimed Marcos centralized the importation of cattle for breeding and slaughter under Yulo King Ranch (YKR) giving it a “significant advantage in the industry.”
In its resolution however, the Sandiganbayan said the plaintiff failed to discharge its burden of proving its allegations by preponderance of evidence.
