Sandiganbayan did not ask former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. to return the Php124 million money in relation to the Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) scam, the senator’s lawyer said on Monday, December 10.
In an interview with ANC, Atty. Ramon Esguerra said that only those who were proven guilty of their involvement in the scam, also known as pork barrel, were asked to return the money including alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles and former legislative aide Richard Cambe.
“If Sen. Bong was not found criminally liable by reason of acquittal, how can he be held civilly liable,” said Esguerra while stressing that Revilla would not be returning any amount of money.
“We only need to consider what the law says, what the decision makes reference to insofar as the earlier discussion were said about his non-criminal liability and the basis is there: no criminal liability, no civil liability,” Esguerra added.
Earlier, the Sandiganbayan acquitted Revilla of plunder after the prosecution failed to prove his involvement in the scam particularly on claims that the senator received Php224.5 million kickbacks from the scheme.
Napoles and Cambe, meanwhile, were convicted guilty and were ordered to return Php124 million.
