Sandiganbayan

A public official cannot hide behind a spouse's private income or separate bank accounts to deflect allegations of unexplained or ill-gotten wealth.

A retired Sandiganbayan justice told the Senate impeachment court, directly countering Vice President Sara Duterte's defense that investigators cannot look into her husband's assets.

Testifying on the twenty-fourth day of the impeachment trial as a witness called by the House prosecution panel, retired Sandiganbayan Justice Amparo Cabatag Tang said authorities can investigate assets of a government official's spouse and children, invoking Section 8 of Republic Act, RA, Three Thousand Nineteen or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The properties in the name of other persons and even the spouse and the children may be considered in determining whether the official has unlawfully acquired wealth.

Cabatag Tang told the court under examination by Representative Chell Diokno of the prosecution panel.

She cited the Supreme Court case of Republic versus Rabusa, emphasizing that the law scrutinizes spousal assets precisely to prevent concealment.

Addressing questions from Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian on how unexplained wealth is disguised, Cabatag Tang cautioned that officials frequently deploy dummies or nominees or even proxies, or the assets are registered in the name of or names of other people.

She cited Heirs of Ligot v. Sandiganbayan, stating that investigators determine whether the relative or spouse possess genuine independent purchasing power.

Official can't hide assets behind spouse's accounts.

A public official cannot hide behind a spouse's private income or separate bank accounts to deflect allegations of unexplained or ill-gotten wealth, a retired Sandiganbayan justice told the Senate impeachment court, directly countering Vice President Sara Duterte's defense that investigators cannot look into her husband's assets.

Testifying on the twenty-fourth day of the impeachment trial as a witness called by the House prosecution panel, retired Sandiganbayan Justice Amparo Cabatag-Tang said authorities can investigate assets of a government official's spouse and children, invoking Section 8 of Republic Act, RA3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Court orders Romualdez moved to Quezon City Jail.

The Sandiganbayan Third Division on Monday ordered former Speaker Martin Romualdez transferred to the Quezon City Jail in Payatas after doctors from the University of the Philippines Philippine General Hospital found that his medical condition no longer required hospitalization.

The order came after the court heard the assessment of PGH director Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, who said Romualdez was clinically stable and could be discharged at any time.

Legaspi told the court that while Romualdez's conditions required continued monitoring and treatment, these did not require him to remain confined in a hospital as long as proper medical care was available.

Here's the latest from the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

The Supreme Court has acquitted former First Lady Imelda Marcos of seven counts of graft, reversing her 2018 conviction at the Sandiganbayan.

In a decision written by Associate Justice Rudel Zalamea, the SC's First Division held that the prosecution failed to prove her guilt beyond reasonable doubt for violation of Section 3[H] of Republic Act Number 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, in connection with Swiss foundations allegedly used to illegally amass wealth.

The court found Marcos was wrongly convicted of violating the constitutional prohibition against financial interests in businesses applicable only to cabinet members and not to a member of the interim Batasang Pambansa, for which she was charged.

The last day of the bar is on Sunday, September 13.

[mellow music] The Supreme Court has affirmed the conviction of Orville Fua, former mayor of Lazi, Siquijor, and other public officers for graft involving more than 4.9 million pesos worth of fertilizer procurement.

In a decision written by Associate Justice Amy Lazar-Javier, the SC Second Division affirmed the Sandiganbayan's ruling that found former Lazi officials, led by Fua and a private individual, guilty of violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act Number 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The SC held that Fua and others were public officers who unjustly favored Mangopina Trading Inc, which turned out to be unqualified and did not submit the required documents.

Read: Police hospital room ready for Romualdez.

An ordinary patient room at the Philippine National Police General Hospital, PNPGH, is ready for former Speaker Martin Romualdez once the Sandiganbayan grants the motion for continued hospital arrest.

The Sandiganbayan Third Division will hold a hearing on September tenth on Romualdez's urgent motion for continued hospital confinement or hospital arrest.

Once approved, the PNP will follow with a motion for custody of the former lawmaker for his transfer at the PNPGH.

The PNPGH, a level two government medical facility, does not have the luxuries of a private hospital.

Due to his condition, booking procedures were done in his hospital room witnessed by his family, doctors, and lawyers.

Despite his continued stay at the Cardinal, the former speaker is now considered a person deprived of liberty and under PNP custody.

Read: SC overturns Sandiganbayan acquits Imelda in seven graft cases.

Ombudsman Crispin Remulia gave the update during the deliberations of the Senate Committee on Finance on the Ombudsman's proposed 2027 budget.

Remulia said 31 of the cases are pending before the Sandigan Bayan, while four remain.

are before regional trial courts.

Another 166 cases are undergoing preliminary investigation.

The meeting came after President Marcos directed authorities to ensure that NLEX would never again be crippled by flooding during the southwest monsoon or habagat.

Senator Jingoy Estrada declined to enter a plea during his arraignment for graft and plunder charges.

This prompted the Sandigan Bayan to enter a not guilty plea for him.

Estrada said they will exhaust all legal remedies available to them.

He was previously diagnosed with osteoarthritis, a degenerative condition that affects his mobility, according to the anti-graft court.

Accused Estrada has of late been experiencing a flare-up of persistent pain in both knees, making it acutely difficult for him to walk, the Sandiganbayan said.

His condition has been relayed by his wife, and, to his orthopedic doctor, Dr. Jose Fernando Siquia, who has recommended that accused Estrada undergo an X-ray procedure of both knees with four specific views to determine whether his illness has worsened, it added.

Estrada is facing trial before the Sanigan Bayan for plunder and graft over allegations that he received more than P573 million in kickbacks from government flood control projects from 2024 to 2025.