Ombudsman asks Sandiganbayan to suspend Senators Revilla, Estrada

The government prosecutors asked that "an order be issued suspending accused [Revilla and Cambe] from their respective public office and/or any public office which they may thereafter occupy pending trial."

They said the suspension of the two is now mandatory as they have already been arraigned.

 

Revilla and Cambe  were arraigned on June 26.

Separate motion

 

In a separate motion, prosecutors asked the Fifth Division to suspend Estrada as his continued stay in office "may frustrate the prosecution of the crime, if not prejudice the case filed against him.

 

"To prevent the accused from committing further acts of malfeasance, tamper with documentary evidence and intimidate or influence witnesses in the case, it is necessary that the accused be suspended from office while the case is pending in court," read the motion in Estrada's case.

The motion is set to be heard on July 3 by the First Division, which is handling Revilla's case, and on July 4 by the Fifth Division for Estrada's case.

The prosecutors invoked Section Five of Republic Act 7080, which states that public officers charged with plunder "shall be suspended from office. Should he be convicted by final judgment, he shall lose all retirement or gratuity benefits under any law."

Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile, the third senator accused of plunder in connection with the pork barrel scam, has yet to be arraigned.

The three senators are accused of pocketing kickbacks from their Priority Development Assistance Fund allocation, some of which were supposedly funneled into ghost projects and fake NGOs in a fraudulent scheme allegedly masterminded by trader Janet Lim-Napoles.

90 days

 

According to lawyer Teresita Rosete, clerk of the First Division, the Supreme Court has earlier issued a decision setting the suspension of government officials to 90 days upon order of the court.