Sandiganbayan convicts Imelda Marcos of seven counts of graft

The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division promulgated its decision on November 9, 2018 finding Imelda Romualdez Marcos guilty beyond reasonable doubt of seven counts of graft under Section 3(h) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. The convictions related to her positions as president, member, or trustee of seven Swiss-based foundations (including the Maler, Trinidad-Rayby, and Vibur Foundations) during her tenure as Minister of Human Settlements and Metropolitan Manila Governor in the 1980s. The Court found that the assets held by these foundations had been transferred from Philippine sources and that her holding of these positions constituted prohibited financial interest under the statute. The Sandiganbayan imposed an aggregate sentence of six years and one month to eleven years for each count. Marcos posted bail and remained at liberty pending her appeals. The conviction was a landmark in the Presidential Commission on Good Government's decades-long effort to establish criminal liability arising from the Marcos-era transfers, separate from the parallel civil forfeiture cases that have continued against the Marcos estate.