Prosecutors amend charge sheets on pork barrel cases

MANILA, Philippines -  Government prosecutors have amended the information on the plunder cases against Senators Ramon Revilla Jr., Juan Ponce Enrile and Jinggoy Estrada to "emphasize" that the legislators gained ill-gotten wealth during their transactions with businesswoman Janet Napoles regarding their priority development assistance fund (PDAF).

In a memorandum to Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, the special panel of prosecutors said the first paragraph of the charge sheet should  "emphasize that the Senator was the one who amassed, accumulated, and acquired ill-gotten wealth in connivance or in conspiracy with his co-accused public officer and private individuals."

They also said that phrases "collecting directly or indirectly" and "and/or anomalous" and words such as "collected" and "percentage" be alleged in the charge sheets.

State prosecutors said that the phrase "enabling Napoles to misapproriate the PDAF proceed for her personal gain"  may also be deleted from the charge sheets.

"Members of the prosecution panel examined the three informations of plunder, and found the same to be sufficient in form and substance.

"However...prosecutors deemed it wise to amend them to minimize, if nor obviate, objections thereto by certain accused which cause undue delay," the prosecutors said.

On Wednesday, the special prosecution panel asked the Sandiganbayan to admit the amended information on the plunder case against Revilla and Estrada.

"It must be noted that the amendment is being made before the arraignment of the accused...the additional allegations or modifications do not alter the prosecution's theory of the case," their manifestation before the Sandiganbayan.

Revilla is set to be arraigned tomorrow along with 19 co-accused in the plunder and graft cases.

The 3rd Division has yet to decide on the motion to dismiss filed by the Ombudsman against Enrile.