(UPDATE) THE Sandiganbayan has deferred the promulgation of the remaining 15 counts of graft cases against Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and former senator Juan Ponce Enrile, his former chief of staff Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes, and self-confessed pork barrel queen Janet Lim Napoles, citing the need for further deliberations.
The graft cases were part of the charges filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2014 concerning the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam, also known as the “pork barrel” scam.
During Friday’s promulgation, Third Division Clerk of Court Dennis Pulma said that one member of the court submitted a request for further deliberation.
This prompted the rescheduling of the promulgation to Oct. 24, 2025, at 8:30 a.m.
Enrile appeared at the hearing via Video Link, while Reyes and Napoles appeared personally.
Enrile, Reyes, and Napoles were earlier acquitted of 15 counts of plunder over allegations that he amassed nearly P173 million from his PDAF that were funneled through the foundations of Napoles.
The court granted Enrile and Napoles’ separate demurrers to evidence, noting that the prosecution’s evidence was not enough to warrant a conviction.
It also said that the prosecution failed to establish that Enrile received some of the money that was amassed from his PDAF for 2006, 2007, and 2010, noting that his request to the Senate president or the Senate Committee on Finance was a “regular process” that is issued by senators for use as financial assistance to certain local government units.
