Forfeiture of Marcos art collection halted

Proceedings in the government’s forfeiture petition concerning the Marcos family’s art collection have been stopped after the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) and the Presidential Commission on Good Government sought a partial summary judgment that would have settled the issue of ownership.

In a letter dated July 5, 2016, the Supreme Court ordered the Sandiganbayan to turn over the complete records of Civil Case No. 0141, the government’s forfeiture case.

The letter came from the office of SC deputy clerk of court and Judicial Records Division chief Basilia T. Ringol and was addressed to then Sandiganbayan executive clerk of court Renato Bocar. It cited a directive from the Office of Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno.

The case records consist of 35 volumes containing 17,238 pages of documents, including the original complaint, various pleadings by the parties, and rulings of the Sandiganbayan First Division dating back to the original filing of the case on December 17, 1991.

Without the case records, all proceedings in the case have been deferred despite the government’s pending motion asking that former First Lady and now Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos be deemed to have waived her right to contest the forfeiture for failing to file her comment or opposition despite being given the chance to do so.

The PCGG’s list showed there are three lists of artworks that the government is trying to recover. The first consists of 152 paintings with an estimated value of $11.84 million; the second with 27 paintings and sculptures reportedly found at the sequestered Metropolitan Museum of Manila, whose value was assessed at $548,445.48; and the so-called Grandma Moses collection of 12 paintings by Amercian artist Anna Mary “Grandma Moses” Robertson, which is believed to have been purchased to the tune of $372,000.

The Sandiganbayan gave Mrs. Marcos and her children, representing their estate, 30 days to file their respective comments in an order dated March 17.

The Marcos estate filed its objections on April 15 but former President Ferdinand Marcos’ widow sought a 30-day extension, or until May 14. She asked that the deadline be further on May 13 by another 15 days but as of July 3, she has not yet filed any comment.

Mrs. Marcos’ move prompted government lawyers to ask the court to declare that she has already waived her right to object to the forfeiture. Assistant solicitor general John Emmanuel F. Madamba and senior state solicitor Jennifer F. Fandialan-Legaspi argued that the government’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment filed last February 24 is already ripe for resolution.

According to the OSG and PCGG, the Marcoses’ disputed art collection is now worth $24 million. They said the paintings should be confiscated in the government’s favor as part of the former First Family’s ill-gotten wealth.

The Supreme Court earlier declared that the combined incomes of the Marcos couple from 1966 to 1986 only amounted to $304,372.43. —JST, GMA News