"Iyan ang napatunayan ng hukuman, na wala akong ninakaw kahit sentimo mula sa taumbayan (That was proven by the court, that I did not steal any centavo from the people)," former Senator Bong Revilla says in a speech at the flag raising ceremony of Bacoor City, Cavite, which is led by his wife, Mayor Lani Mercado-Revilla.

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 8) — State prosecutors will not challenge the dismissal of Senator Bong Revilla’s graft cases in connection with the pork barrel scam.

The Ombudsman on Thursday said it “respects” the Sandiganbayan’s decision to junk the remaining 16 graft charges filed against Revilla.

“Consistent with the defendant’s constitutional right against double jeopardy, Ombudsman Samuel Martires sets the policy of no longer challenging the dismissal of cases,” the Office of the Ombudsman said in a statement.

It explained this policy is reconsidered when there is a mistrial or clear deprivation of due process.

In a narrow 3-2 vote, the Sandiganbayan First Division acquitted Revilla on the 16 counts of graft for allegedly diverting his Priority Development Assistance Fund to bogus nongovernment organizations controlled by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles in 2014. The court said the cases against him were dismissed “on the ground of insufficiency of evidence against him.”