The Sandiganbayan Third Division continues its trial on the plunder cases filed against former Senator and current Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile on Feb. 14, 2023, his 99th birthday. Adrian Ayalin, ABS-CBN News
MANILA — An official from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Tuesday testified in the ongoing plunder and graft trial of former Senator and now Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile.
SEC chief counsel for Company Registration and Monitoring Department RJ Bernal appeared before the Sandiganbayan Third Division to give his testimony on the case, with both the prosecution and defense agreeing on the stipulation that Bernal could identify his sworn judicial affidavit.
According to the prosecution, the judicial affidavit of Bernal dealt with the articles of incorporation of companies involved in the alleged Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam.
Bernal underwent cross-examination by Rony Garay, lawyer of former businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles.
The SEC official admitted that he is not the “physical custodian” of the records involved in the case.
Enrile's counsel Estelito Mendoza also commented that the documents involved were public documents and whistleblower Benhur Luy had earlier testified on supposedly falsified documents.
But Associate Justice Ronald Moreno ordered Mendoza's pronouncements to be stricken off court records after clarifying that his statements were only a "comment."
Before the court adjourned, Moreno also noted the presence of Gigi Reyes, Enrile’s former Senate chief of staff and co-accused in the plunder and graft cases.
Reyes was ordered by the Supreme Court to attend all her hearings if necessary, as one of the conditions for her release from jail after her petition for habeas corpus was granted.
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