The Sandiganbayan’s Fourth Division has served additional arrest warrants against Senator Rodante Marcoleta and former Anakalusugan Party-list Representative Mike Defensor.
This new legal development follows their detention earlier this week over non-bailable plunder charges linked to the non-disclosure of political campaign donations.
On top of the primary plunder case, the anti-graft court has indicted both individuals for violating Presidential Decree No. 46, a decree that strictly prohibits public officers from receiving gifts.
Although the court set the bail amount at ₱30,000 for this specific infraction, both men are set to remain behind bars because their separate plunder charges do not permit bail.
Defensor is currently being held at the Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory located in Payatas. Meanwhile, Marcoleta is under medical surveillance at the Philippine National Police General Hospital in Camp Crame following his initial apprehension by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group on Monday.
To ensure they remain in the country throughout the judicial process, the court has also issued a hold departure order against them.
The indictment was brought forward by the Office of the Ombudsman after the senator openly acknowledged receiving ₱75 million in campaign backing from his co-accused to fund his 2025 senatorial bid.
State investigators later validated that Marcoleta failed to report these substantial donations to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) as required by law.