Joma welcomes Imelda Marcos conviction

LUCENA CITY – Exiled Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison welcomed the Sandiganbayan’s guilty verdict on seven counts of graft against former First Lady and Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos.

“Apparently, the judge is independent-minded. At any rate, I welcome the decision,” Sison said in an online interview from his base in Utrecht, The Netherlands on Friday.

On Friday, Associate Justice Rafael Lagos of the Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division, sentenced the wife of former President Ferdinand Marcos to imprisonment from six years and one month, up to 11 years for each count, for violating Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act when she transferred around $200 million to seven Swiss foundations during her term as a member of the defunct Batasang Pambansa and as then Minister of Human Settlements.

Lagos also ordered the arrest of Imelda, whose camp did not attend the legal proceedings.

The anti-graft court gave Imelda 30 days to explain her absence. She can still post bail for her temporary liberty as graft is a bailable case, the amount, however, has yet to be set by the court.

But despite the guilty verdict, Sison is still pessimistic on the final outcome of the case once it reaches the Supreme Court (SC).

“At the SC, friends of Digong (President Duterte) can still reverse the decision,” Sison said.

Sison said Imelda should be immediately arrested and return all stolen money from the Filipino people.

He said the Sandiganbayan decision caused a setback to the plan of the Marcoses to return to Malacañang and to reverse the history of their overthrow from power during the 1986 People’s Power revolution.