By el Amigo
MANILA — The Sandiganbayan Third Division has ordered the 90-day preventive suspension of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta over a pending plunder case involving an alleged ₱75-million donation.
The suspension will take effect upon receipt of the court resolution and will automatically end after 90 days, according to the anti-graft court.
Marcoleta is accused of receiving alleged donations from former party-list lawmaker Mike Defensor and businessmen Joseph Espiritu and Aristotle Viray. The amounts involved were ₱30 million, ₱25 million and ₱20 million, respectively.
The court cited Republic Act 7080, or the Anti-Plunder Act, which provides for the preventive suspension of public officials facing plunder charges. It said suspension was mandatory once the information was found sufficient.
The tribunal added that Marcoleta’s claims concerning his freedom of expression, political participation and equal protection of the law would have to be addressed during trial.
Prosecutors rested their case on Oct. 8 after seeking to adopt testimonies from the senator’s bail hearing and stipulate the remaining witnesses’ testimony.
Marcoleta is expected to begin presenting his evidence on Thursday.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla earlier said the case could be resolved in less than a year, potentially setting a record compared with other plunder cases that took years to conclude.
ia/xf
