Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 6) – Chief presidential legal adviser Juan Ponce Enrile has asked the Sandiganbayan to drop his plunder case over the alleged misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund.
The anti-graft court’s third division last month granted his motion for leave of court to file a demurrer to evidence, which seeks the immediate dismissal of a case soon after the prosecution rests its case.
“Enrile has filed his demurrer and the prosecution has been given a period of time to file its comment/opposition,” Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Cabotaje-Tang said.
The defendant waived his right to present evidence on the ground that the prosecution’s evidence is weak. A leave of court has to be granted first before a defendant can file a demurrer.
Meantime, the court denied the motion for leave of court filed by Enrile’s former chief of staff and co-accused, Gigi Reyes.
Enrile and his alleged cohorts were charged with plunder and graft in 2014 for allegedly funneling over ₱170 million in pork barrel to bogus non-government organizations controlled by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles.
