FORMER Department of Finance undersecretary Antonio Belicena’s ordeal in facing more than 700 cases before the Sandiganbayan has finally come to an end.
In a resolution dated October 27, 2021, the anti-graft court’s Seventh Division ordered the dismissal of all 38 criminal charges against the defendant on account of his death based on a motion filed by defense lawyer Lazaro Galindez Jr.
Attached to the Consolidated Motion to Dismiss was an authenticated Certificate of Death issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority showing that Belicena died on June 2, 2021.
The resolution invoked Article 89 of the Revised Penal Code which states that criminal liability is totally extinguished by the death of the accused.
The resolution of the Seventh Division was signed by Associate Justices Ma. Theresa Dolores C. Gomez-Estoesta, Zaldy V. Trespeses, and Georgina D. Hidalgo.
As DOF Undersecretary, Belicena held the concurrent post as former head of the One-Stop Shop Inter-Agency Tax Credit and Duty Drawback Center (OSS-Center) which processed and approved applications for tax credit certificates (TCCs) by various business establishments.
