MANILA – Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile has urged the courts to quickly resolve all the pending cases that were filed against him.
In an interview, Enrile said he welcomes the Supreme Court’s verdict to allow the Sandiganbayan to proceed with the pending charges against him.
“Let them decide. Until now, they are not deciding. Mahigit sampung taon na ‘yan, walang ebidensya na ipinipresenta sa akin,” the former Senate President said.
“Hindi lang yun, ang dami kong kaso, coconut levy, nakinabang sila. Until now, I do not know what happened to my cases,” added the 100-year-old Enrile.
The high court recently ruled to allow the resumption of Sandiganbayan’s hearing to the case against Enrile in connection with alleged irregularities in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) two decades ago.
“The prosecution must be allowed to present evidence based on its own discretion and in accordance with the law and the rules… Its discretion is limited only by the requirement that the evidence must be admissible,” SC said on Monday.
In 2014, the Ombudsman charged Enrile, his chief of staff Jessica Lucila Reyes, businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, Ronald John Lim and John Raymund de Asis with plunder in relation to Enrile’s PDAF transactions between 2004 and 2010.
In October 2023, Enrile asked the Sandiganbayan to dismiss the plunder case without him having to present evidence, a motion that the anti-graft court allowed.
The former Senate president also cited his advanced age as one reason to junk the case
In January 2024, government prosecutors finished their presentation of evidence against Enrile on the plunder case involving his alleged misuse of his discretionary fund, officially known as the PDAF./PN
