Sandiganbayan junks P29-B reward plea of Marcos wealth ‘informant’

A man who proclaimed himself as the "informant" in the recovery of the alleged ill-gotten wealth of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, his family, and his cronies has lost his plea at the Sandiganbayan for a P29.58-billion "reward."

In a resolution dated April 15, the court's Seventh Division dismissed the petition for mandamus of Danilo Lihaylihay due to lack of jurisdiction.

Lihaylihay had urged the Sandiganbayan to compel Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Caesar Dulay to pay him P29.58 billion as "informer's reward."

Lihaylihay said the funds may be sourced through the "garnishment/levy of all BIR properties, assets, and monies deposited at Land Bank of the Philippines and, all monies, funds and assets recovered from Swiss Banks and deposited in Escrow Accounts."

He said the accounts are under the management of the Presidential Commission on Good Government and deposited at the Philippine National Bank-Trust Banking Group.

However, the Sandiganbayan said Presidential Decree No. 1606 states the anti-graft court only has jurisdiction over the regional trial courts. It, therefore, said it cannot direct the BIR to heed the reward request of Lihaylihay.

"Jurisdiction is conferred by law, and any judgment, order or resolution issued without it is void and cannot be given any effect. Whenever it appears that the court has no jurisdiction over the subject matter, the action shall be dismissed," the Sandiganbayan said.

Last year, Lihaylihay lost his petition for the Supreme Court to compel the government to pay him a reward of at least P12 trillion, representing his share in the efforts to recover the Marcos wealth.

The SC ruled that Lihaylihay made broad claims in his letter and demanded to almost all of the alleged hidden wealth of the former First Family.

“From his 1987 letters to the present petition, his bases for rewards swelled from the Swiss bank deposits, gold bars, and diamonds mentioned in his original letters to Atty. Pitargue to virtually all forms of the Marcos family's ill-gotten wealth,” the SC said. — BM, GMA News