The Department of Justice (DOJ) clarified that the pace of the plunder case against Senator Rodante Marcoleta and his co-accused is now completely under the jurisdiction of the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan.
“Call na ng korte kung saan naka-file ang complaint. Walang panahon na masyadong mabilis o masyadong mabagal. Nasa korte na yan,” stated DOJ Undersecretary Nicholas Ty during a press briefing.
DOJ Undersecretary Norman Dato, who was also at the briefing, added that the court holds the sole discretion to determine whether a voluntary surrender by the accused could be considered a mitigating factor during eventual sentencing.
The legal battle escalated last Friday when the Office of the Ombudsman officially filed plunder charges before the Sandiganbayan over an alleged ₱75 million in undeclared funds. Named in the indictment alongside Marcoleta are former Anakalusugan Partylist Representative Mike Defensor and businessmen Aristotle Viray and Joseph Espiritu.
Responding to queries about the nature of the money involved, Ty emphasized that the Anti-Plunder Law defines ill-gotten wealth to include any gift, commission, kickback, or share acquired through a government contract or a public officer’s official status.
”From a plain reading of the law, the subject funds for a prosecution on plunder do not need to be public funds,” Ty explained.
The controversy stems from Marcoleta’s previous admission that he received the ₱75 million as political donations from his co-accused during the 2025 midterm elections.
The prosecution alleges that he committed a crime by failing to declare these massive sums in both his official Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) and his annual Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).