Sandiganbayan denies motion to reverse Enrile-Reyes-Napoles acquittal; P172.8M PDAF case final

The Sandiganbayan ruled on Friday, June 5, 2026 that the prosecution's motion for reconsideration of its October 2024 acquittal of Juan Ponce Enrile, Jessica Lucila "Gigi" Reyes, and Janet Lim Napoles in the P172.8 million Priority Development Assistance Fund plunder case had no legal basis. The court held that an acquittal cannot be reviewed on the prosecution's motion consistent with the constitutional prohibition on double jeopardy and declared the October 2024 decision final and unappealable. The plunder information had charged Enrile with amassing P172.8 million in kickbacks from his PDAF allocations between 2004 and 2010, channeled through Janet Lim Napoles's network of bogus non-governmental organizations. The court acquitted all three in October 2024 on a finding that the prosecution did not prove the threshold P50 million that the plunder statute requires the principal to have personally received. The Sandiganbayan in October 2025 separately acquitted Enrile, Reyes, and Napoles of 15 counts of graft tied to the same PDAF transactions; that ruling was likewise not appealable by the prosecution. Napoles remains in detention on a separate plunder conviction involving Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr.'s PDAF allocations and on her standing serious illegal detention conviction in the Benhur Luy whistleblower case. Reyes had been detained without bail for close to a decade in the Enrile case before her release after the October 2024 acquittal. Enrile continues to serve as Chief Presidential Legal Counsel.