MANILA – Former first lady and incumbent Ilocos Norte 1st District representative Imelda Marcos on Wednesday posted P300,000 in bail as she continued to appeal her graft conviction.
The Sandiganbayan 5th Division found Marcos guilty of seven counts of graft for using her position to maintain Swiss bank accounts during the rule of her husband, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
The camp of Marcos paid a total bail bond of P300,000, plus legal fees.
The 89-year-old lawmaker had earlier filed a separate P150,000 bail after the ant-graft court admonished her for skipping the promulgation of her graft case.
The late strongman’s widow initially cited “multiple organ infirmities” for her absence in the promulgation but later on said she was not aware of the proceeding’s schedule.
Mrs. Marcos was supposed to run for governor of Ilocos Norte in 2019 but she withdrew her bid following her conviction. Her grandson Matthew Marcos Manotoc, will run in her stead.
The late former president and his cronies have been accused of stealing an estimated $10 billion from public funds during their two-decade rule.
Marcos and his family fled to the US after the EDSA People Power uprising in 1986. He died in exile but his heirs were able to return to Manila make a political comeback.
His daughter Imee Marcos is running for senator while his son and namesake Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is contesting his narrow defeat to Vice President Leni Robredo in 2016.
In November 2016, the late dictator was buried at the Heroes Cemetery upon orders of President Rodrigo Duterte, a move that triggered a huge protest. (ABS-CBN News)
