Philippine high court dismisses Imelda Marcos graft case

The Philippine Supreme Court recently dismissed a graft case against former First Lady Imelda Marcos, documents released on Wednesday reveal. The case, which dated back years, had been languishing in the courts. Marcos, aged 97 at the time, had fled to the US in 1986 with her husband, former President Ferdinand Marcos. Ferdinand Marcos, along with his associates, was accused of embezzling over US$10 billion from the Philippines after the downfall of his 20-year rule in 1986.

Ferdinand Marcos passed away in 1989 while in exile, but his heirs later returned to the Philippines, allowing Imelda to see her son, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., become the country's president in 2022. In 2018, a lower court had ordered Imelda to serve a minimum of six years in prison for allegedly funneling around US$200 million through Swiss foundations decades ago.

Imelda Marcos, known for her extravagant lifestyle, promptly filed an appeal. The Supreme Court dismissed the case more than two months ago, citing that the relevant Swiss documents were not properly authenticated. The prosecution could not present any credible witness to attest to the genuineness and due execution of the documents.

This dismissal is not the first time a case against Imelda Marcos has been overturned by the Supreme Court. In 1993, the court overturned a 24-year jail sentence on graft charges. Despite this setback, Imelda Marcos continued to run for Congress and won while her appeal was underway. The family's notoriety is rooted in Ferdinand Marcos' declaration of martial law in 1972, which enabled him to suspend the legislature, silence the free press, and imprison or assassinate those who opposed his dictatorship. Efforts to recover the pilfered money have been uneven and slow since Marcos' ouster.