Imelda Marcos pardon speculative – Palace

MANILA, Philippines — Concerns that President Duterte might grant pardon to former first lady and now Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos are “premature” and “speculative,” Malacañang said yesterday.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo pointed out that pardon can be granted only after final judgment is rendered. Marcos is expected to appeal her conviction by the Sandiganbayan all the way to the Supreme Court.

“Analysts from some sectors have raised concern over the possibility of the President granting pardon to former first lady and incumbent Ilocos Norte 2nd District Representative Imelda Marcos following the decision of the Sandiganbayan. Such issue not only is speculative but premature as well,” Panelo said.

Lawmakers urged the President not to give special treatment to Mrs. Marcos. The Marcoses are administration allies.

Duterte last year said the Marcos family had indicated a willingness to return a still-unspecified amount of money and “a few gold bars” to help ease the country’s budget deficit. Duterte indicated the family still denied that the assets had been stolen as alleged by political opponents.

On Friday, the Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division found Marcos guilty on seven counts of violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act in connection with her alleged financial interests in Swiss-based foundation.

Marcos, the current Ilocos Norte representative, was sentenced to a minimum of six years and one month to a maximum prison sentence of 11 years “for each count” of graft.

Officials said Marcos could appeal the verdict before the Supreme Court.

There were reports that Duterte might grant full pardon to Marcos even during the appeal.

“The President has the constitutional authority to grant pardon to persons convicted by final judgment. It is not so in the case of Congresswoman Marcos, the decision of the anti-graft court not having attained finality,” Panelo said.

Panelo said Marcos’ lawyers have stated that Marcos would avail herself of legal remedies to reverse the court’s decision.

He pointed out the procedure of granting full pardon to convicts.

“In granting pardon to convicts, the President will consider the recommendation of the Board of Pardons and Parole, an office under the Department of Justice, which looks into the records and studies the circumstances of the person in order to evaluate the latter’s eligibility and entitlement of the President’s act of grace,” Panelo explained.

“As matter of course and policy, the President like his predecessors, weighs in all factors before exercising his right to grant clemencies,” he added.

Former solicitor general Florin Hilbay yesterday hit the Duterte administration for its “selective” enforcement of the law in the case of the former first lady.

Hilbay, who is running for senator in next year’s elections, called on the Philippine National Police (PNP) to show the same resolve in arresting Marcos like what it had shown in the case of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.

“Why is the PNP not implementing the arrest order against Imelda Marcos? When it was Senator Trillanes there was no warrant of arrest yet but many (police) were immediately stationed at the Senate,” he said in Filipino.

Hilbay said the PNP’s apparent inaction is an indication that President Duterte is only serious in pursuing its critics, not its allies.

“If the PNP will not act and hasten the arrest of Imelda this is an indication that it is protecting the allies of the President,” he said. “Selective enforcement of the law is plain injustice.”

“We expect the Supreme Court to uphold this ruling,” Vice President Leni Robredo said.

Robredo agreed with some lawmakers that Marcos cannot invoke her old age to resist an impending arrest.

“It’s wrong to say that because she’s more than 70 years old she could no longer be jailed because this is just one of the mitigating circumstances under the Revised Penal Code,” Robredo said. – With Helen Flores