Marcos on SC acquittal of Imelda: ‘It’s been hanging over our heads’

President Marcos says the decision will not affect his selection of a new chief justice

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. says he’s “glad” that the Supreme Court overturned the Sandiganbayan’s conviction of his mother, Imelda Marcos, of graft.

The decision, made public on September 9, overturned the anti-graft court’s November 2018 decision that convicted the former first lady of seven counts of graft. In 2018, Marcos did not hold public office after losing the 2016 vice presidential elections, and was elected president in 2022.

The Sandiganbayan earlier sentenced Imelda to six years and one month, up to 11 years, for each count of graft.

Imelda, 97, is the wife of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. The Marcoses are accused of stealing from public coffers while they were in office, which included martial rule from 1972 to 1981. Marcos Sr. continued his authoritarian rule until he was ousted by the People Power Revolution in 1986

Imelda’s now-overturned conviction was in relation to her management of seven Swiss foundations. The Office of the Ombudsman found that over $200 million in public funds were involved in those private organizations.

The Supreme Court overturned the Sandiganbayan’s decision because the latter supposed erred when it deemed the Swiss documents as duly authenticated.

Marcos, who will be selecting a new head of the Supreme Court when Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo retires in November 2026, says the decision on his mother’s case would not factor in his choice. “That will never enter our thinking in any way,” he told media on September 13. – Rappler.com