MANILA, Philippines — The anti-graft court is seeking a speedy trial of wealth forfeiture cases against the remaining defendants involved in the so-called coco levy fund scam during the martial law era.
“Every litigation must come to an end,” the Sandiganbayan said.
Further delays in the proceedings may result in the dismissal of cases, the anti-graft court’s Second Division, chaired by newly appointed Presiding Justice Geraldine Faith Econg, warned lawyers of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) and Office of the Solicitor General in a 16-page resolution dated Jan. 7.
“At present, it had been more than 37 years since the causes of action in these civil cases were first brought before this Court. It is an important fundamental principle in the judicial system that every litigation must come to an end,” the court said.
The PCGG in July 1987 filed a civil case against the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., his wife Imelda Marcos and their cronies for reportedly illegally amassing wealth through the Coconut Industry Investment Fund.
Divided into eight cases, all coco levy cases were dismissed in December last year by the anti-graft court.
Six of these cases were dismissed for inordinate delay.
Two cases were dismissed after the PCGG said “the Republic already recovered majority of the properties subject of the said cases.”
Coco levy cases against Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile, businessmen Jesus Pineda and Cesar Zalamea and the heirs of late congresswoman Maria Clara Lobregat were also dismissed last year.
The Marcos spouses and other defendants were in a similar situation to the primary defendant Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., whose cases were dismissed in 2021 by the Supreme Court for inordinate delay, the Second Division noted.