The Sandiganbayan has acquitted former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, his former chief of staff Jessica “Gigi” Reyes, and businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles of 15 counts of graft related to the alleged misuse of Enrile’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). The court cited the prosecution’s failure to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The case involves allegations that Enrile funneled ₱172.83 million of his PDAF to Napoles’ bogus non-government organizations in exchange for kickbacks.
Enrile, currently 101 years old, and Napoles attended the court proceedings via videoconference due to health and detention reasons, respectively. Reyes was present in person and expressed gratitude for the court’s decision. Despite the acquittal, the court ordered Napoles and 15 other co-accused to jointly pay ₱338 million in civil liability, citing sufficient evidence that the funds were diverted to non-existent projects.