Sandiganbayan junks 'substantial' changes on Bong's charge sheet

MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan on Thursday denied the request of government prosecutors to amend the charge sheet on the plunder case against Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. and four others.

Associate Justice Efren dela Cruz, chair of the anti-graft court's 1st Division, however allowed the "formal amendments" in the original information filed by the government prosecutors against Revilla; his legislative staff Richard Cambe, businesswoman Janet Napoles, John Raymund de Asis and Reynald Lim.

Before the arraignment on the plunder charges, Revilla's lawyer, Joel Bodegon, made an oral motion for the release of his client from detention, arguing that the amendment of the original information nullifies the issuance of the arrest warrant against the senator.

In its motion to amend information, prosecutors want to delete the phrase "enabling Napoles to misappropriate PDAF (priority development assistance fund) proceeds for her personal gain."

The prosecution panel maintained that the "amendment does not charge any offense but the crime of plunder."

Revilla refused to enter a guilty plea as he has a pending petition before the Supreme Court, seeking a review of the findings of the Ombudsman on the pork barrel case.

"We would want the Supreme Court to take a second look at our judicial determination of probable cause," Bodegon said.

Revilla's co-accused- Cambe and Napoles- entered a not guilty plea on the plunder charges while two others-  De Asis and Lim- remain at large.

Meanwhile, 15 accused in the graft cases all pleaded not guilty during the court proceedings.

The anti-graft court assured the Revilla camp that it would act on the senator's petition for bail which would be heard on July 10.