MANILA - Former senator Bong Revilla's lawyers said his acquittal from his P224-million plunder case arising from the multibillion-peso Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam meant that he is not civilly liable to return P124.5 million to the National Treasury.

In the opposition to the prosecution’s motion for execution of judgment filed before the Sandiganbayan Special 1st Division, Revilla’s lawyers said that the December 7, 2018 decision of the court declared that the facts from which civil liability might arise did not exist.

They quoted a part of the decision which stated that Revilla was acquitted as the prosecution failed to establish beyond reasonable doubt that he received kickbacks from his PDAF.

“Even the body of the decision shows that Revilla did not directly or indirectly receive the rebates, commissions and kickbacks from his PDAF. Hence, there is nothing for him to return,” the lawyers of Revilla led by Atty. Estelito Mendoza said in their opposition.

The prosecution had insisted that the anti-graft court mentioned the names of Revilla and convicted plunderers Janet Lim Napoles and Atty. Richard Cambe, followed by a paragraph which said that the “accused” are “solidarily and jointly liable to return to the national treasury the amount of P124,500,000.”

• Prosecution: Revilla 'civilly liable' in 'pork barrel' scam despite acquittal