Former senator Bong Revilla and his lawyer Estelito Mendoza at the Sandiganbayan on Tuesday. Actor Phillip Salvador is partially hidden. Photo: Vince F. Nonato.
The supposed lack of any freeze order on former senator Bong Revilla鈥檚 bank accounts means authorities did not find any irregularity with his wealth, his lawyer argued聽on Tuesday.
While the prosecution has presented witnesses confirming the submission of bank documents for the Anti-Money Laundering Council鈥檚 inquiry, former Solicitor-General Estelito Mendoza pointed to the lack of a subsequent freeze order from the AMLC.
鈥淭hat means the AMLC did not find any evidence of any unlawful activity including plunder based on their examination of records,鈥� Mendoza told reporters on the sidelines of a聽Tuesday聽hearing.
Had there been a freeze order, he said 鈥渢he prosecution will certainly be very happy to have displayed that prominently鈥� at Revilla鈥檚 plunder trial before the Sandiganbayan First Division.
Mendoza made the statement after cross-examining the prosecution witness, Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company chief compliance officer Donato Espino,聽on Tuesday.
At the witness stand, Espino told Mendoza that he could not remember if a freeze order has been issued because of the sheer volume of the records.
But, Office of the Special Prosecutor Director Joefferson Toribio later clarified in a text message to reporters that Espino only 鈥渃annot remember the specific accounts because there were many accounts.鈥�
During the hearing, Associate Justice Geraldine Faith Econg asked one by one if the freeze orders were issued on the accounts of Revilla, his wife Lani Mercado and her real name Jesusa Victoria Bautista, chief-of-staff Richard Cambe, and businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.
Espino answered a categorical 鈥測es, Your Honor鈥� for Napoles, the alleged pork barrel scam mastermind. But as for Mercado and Cambe鈥檚 accounts, he replied, 鈥淚 do not remember.鈥�
As for Revilla鈥檚 account, Espino answered: 鈥淚 think so.鈥� This drew an incredulous reaction from the senator and his fellow actor Phillip Salvador: 鈥淚 think so?!鈥�
Mendoza concluded his cross-examination by accusing Espino of 鈥渘ot telling the truth,鈥� and claimed 鈥渉e does not want to recall.鈥� Toribio replied the defense lawyer was 鈥渁lready deciding for himself鈥� when 鈥渋t鈥檚 for the Court to decide if the testimony is true or not.鈥�
After the hearing, Revilla echoed Mendoza鈥檚 points when asked about his visible reactions to Espino鈥檚 testimony.
鈥淪a iba, confirm聽siya, pero sa akin, hindi niya maalala. Isang patunay lang 鈥榶un na wala,聽no red flag (For the others, he can confirm, but as to mine, he cannot remember. It鈥檚 just one proof that no, there鈥檚 no red flag),鈥� said the senator who turned 51聽on Monday.
After Espino, the prosecution is set to present one last witness聽on Thursday: Imelda Fortugaleza, the compliance office head of BPI-Philam Life Assurance Corp.
Afterwards, Mendoza sought to recall four whistleblowers to the witness stand for additional cross-examination next week.
It may be recalled the testimonies of whistleblowers Benhur Luy, Marina Sula, Merlina Su帽as, and Mary Arlene Baltazar formed part of the evidence that were presented during earlier bail hearings in 2014. The court found the evidence strong enough to deny Revilla bail for the serious offense of plunder, leading to his detention since June 2014.
Revilla told reporters his birthday wish: 鈥淪ana makalaya na ako (I wish I could be free).鈥� He also wished for 鈥渓onger life for my father,鈥� former Senator Ramon Revilla Sr.
The actor-politician was accused of receiving P224.5 million in kickbacks in exchange for funneling his Priority Development Assistance Fund allocations to dubious foundations allegedly controlled by Napoles.