Bejo asks SC to drop graft case

A brother of former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos has asked the Supreme Court to dismiss a graft complaint filed against him by the Presidential Commission on Good Government 14 years ago in connection with alleged anomalies in a 1975 deal for the sale of a state-owned ship repair facility.

In a 37-page petition with the Supreme Court’s third division, Tacloban City Mayor Alfredo "Bejo" Romualdez urged the tribunal to issue a temporary restraining order against the Sandiganbayan’s fifth division which is trying him for alleged violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Practices Act.

The charges stemmed from deals entered into from July 16 to July 29 in 1975. Romualdez allegedly intervened in a contract between the National Shipyard and Steel Corp. (Nassco), a government—owned and controlled corporation, and the Bataan Shipyard and Engineering Co. (Baseco), a private corporation.

In its 1989 charge sheet, the PCGG alleged that the late former President Ferdinand Marcos owned the majority stocks of Baseco.

Under the deal allegedly brokered by Romualdez, Nassco sold, transferred and conveyed to Baseco its ownership of all equipment and facilities, including structures, buildings, shops, quarters, houses, plants and assets on the Engineer Islands.

After arriving in the Philippines after several years abroad, Romualdez filed a motion to dismiss the charges and defer his arraignment, claiming there was no valid preliminary investigation conducted in the case, among other reasons.

Romualdez also claimed that prosecutor Victorio Tubanguil dropped the case against him in 1999, ruling that it had already prescribed.

Romualdez is accused of violating Section 5 of RA 3019 prohibiting relatives of government officials from intervening directly or indirectly in any business transaction, contract or application with the government.