Court denies Napoles motion for acquittal in plunder case

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE Sandiganbayan Fifth Division has denied the appeal of detained businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles through a memorandum asking for her acquittal in a plunder case, among other cases.

In a resolution promulgated on July 4, 2023, the anti-graft court refused to admit Napoles’ memorandum in her plunder case involving former APEC party-list representative Edgar Valdez by technicality as the memorandum of Napoles was filed on March 31, 2023, beyond the February 19, 2023 deadline.

A memorandum is the summation of arguments presented by the defense and the prosecution and is filed after they presented witnesses and pieces of evidence.

FOR RUFFA MAE. Elizaldes and Darlen Gurabil hold Ru a Mae Gurabil’s photograph as they join a graduation march during the commencement exercises of the City University of Pasay (CUP) at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on Monday. Ru a, who graduated AB Political Science, died of cardiac arrest several days before her graduation day. Danny Pata