Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile has been acquitted of plunder charges tied to the pork barrel scam, securing his vindication after a decade-long legal battle.
On Friday, the Sandiganbayan Special Third Division ruled that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Enrile, along with his former aide Gigi Reyes and businesswoman Janet Napoles, conspired to receive P172.83 million in kickbacks from Enrile’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).
“I knew all along that I would be acquitted because we have not done anything wrong in this case. I hope the people who filed these cases will examine their conscience,” Enrile told reporters following the decision.
The case, which stretched over ten years, experienced significant delays from 2019 to 2020 due to numerous motions from both sides, coupled with setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Enrile, now 100 years old, is the last of three senators to be cleared of involvement in the PDAF scam. Bong Revilla’s graft charges were dismissed in 2018, and Jinggoy Estrada’s case was dropped in 2024.
Timeline of Events:
- June 6, 2014: The Office of the Ombudsman files plunder and graft charges against Napoles, Enrile, and Reyes.
- July 3, 2014: Enrile is arrested for allegedly diverting his PDAF to fake NGOs linked to Napoles.
- July 14, 2014: Due to his age, Enrile, then 90, is allowed to stay in the Philippine National Police General Hospital.
- August 22, 2014: Enrile petitions for bail, citing his deteriorating health.
- September 2014: The Senate suspends Enrile for 90 days.
- August 18, 2015: The Supreme Court grants Enrile bail on humanitarian grounds, allowing him to post P1.45 million.
- July 2016: Enrile announces his retirement from public service.
- January 2017: The Sandiganbayan rejects Enrile’s attempt to dismiss the plunder case.
- May 2019: Enrile loses his Senate comeback bid.
- June 2022: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appoints Enrile as Chief Presidential Legal Counsel.
- February 2023: The Supreme Court dismisses the graft charges against Enrile.
- February 2024: The Supreme Court denies Enrile’s request to dismiss the plunder charges and orders the Sandiganbayan to proceed with the trial. Enrile celebrates his 100th birthday.
- October 2024: Enrile, Reyes, and Napoles are acquitted.