Marcos welcomes mom’s graft conviction reversal

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos on Sunday welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the 2018 graft conviction of his mother, former first lady Imelda Marcos, saying the case had weighed on the family for nearly four decades.

“I’m glad that the case is over,” Marcos told reporters in New Delhi (India) where he attended the 18th BRICS Summit.

“It has been hanging over our heads for about 40 years. All those cases were filed in 1986, and that’s how long it has taken,” he said.

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The President said he was particularly relieved for his 97-year-old mother, who no longer needs to worry about the cases.

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“Of course, I’m happy that she doesn’t have to worry about it anymore, because she does worry about these cases. I’m glad, especially for my mother,” he added.

In a decision dated June 10 and made public on Sept. 9, the high court’s 1st Division overturned Imelda Marcos’ conviction by the Sandiganbayan for seven counts of graft involving the transfer of at least $200 million to Swiss foundations during the Marcos dictatorship.

She was supposed to serve a combined prison term of up to 77 years. However, the former first lady has not spent a day behind bars as she remained out on bail while pursuing her appeal.

The decision did not determine whether the transactions were legitimate. Rather, it held that the prosecution failed to meet the evidentiary requirements necessary to sustain criminal convictions.

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This effectively cleared the former first lady of the criminal charges that had remained pending for decades.

The antigraft court earlier acquitted Imelda Marcos in three other graft cases. /cb