Sandiganbayan junks graft charges filed vs. Honasan over 'pork' scam

The Sandiganbayan has junked graft charges against former senator and now Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gregorio Honasan and seven others in connection with the P10-billion pork barrel scam.

In a 52-page ruling issued in December 2020, the anti-graft court said the prosecution's evidence “failed to establish the essential elements of the crime charged and to overcome the presumption of innocence in favor of the accused.

“Accordingly, the cases against the accused are hereby dismissed,” it added.

Honasan is accused of granting at least P29.1 million of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), commonly known as pork barrel, to a non-government organization without public bidding.

Following the Sandiganbayan's decision, the hold departure order issued against Honasan and his co-accused was lifted, while the bail bonds, if they posted any, were ordered released by the court.

The Office of Ombudsman filed two counts of graft against Honasan in August 2017. He was the fourth senator to be slapped with a case in connection with the multi-billion-peso scam, the others being former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, former senator Jinggoy Estrada, and incumbeny Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, who were all accused of plunder.

Of the three, only Bong Revilla has been acquitted by the court so far, while Enrile and Estrada are both out on bail.   —KBK, GMA News