Lawyer: Motion to suspend Revilla ‘premature and baseless’

By: Nestor Corrales - 10 years ago

Arraignment of Senator Bong Revilla at the Sandiganbayan First Division for plunder charges. With him is Atty. Joel Bodegon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON

MANILA, Philippines- The motion to suspend from office Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. is “premature and baseless,” his lawyer said Tuesday.

“If he is already in jail, why is there still a need to suspend him? How can he still influence his colleagues? With his present condition, he does not have any capacity to take advantage of his position as a government official,” Atty Joel Bodegon said in Filipino in an interview over Radyo Inquirer 990AM.

Government prosecutors on Monday sought to suspend from office Senators Revilla and Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, both accused of plunder and graft over their alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam.

The prosecution cited Section 5 of Republic Act 7080 or the Plunder Law saying, “any public officer against whom any criminal prosecution under a valid information under this act shall be suspended from office…”

They also said the senator may influence or intimidate the witnesses in the plunder and graft charges filed against him.

Bodegon said the charges filed by the Ombudsman against Revilla were “void,” citing the information filed before the Sandiganbayan were fraudulent and erroneous.

He said if the information filed before the anti-graft court would be proven void, Revilla’s warrant of arrest, voluntary surrender, commitment order and continued detention would also be void.

He said the senator did not enter a plea before the Sandiganbayan for his plunder and graft charges so as not to prejudice their pending motions before the Supreme Court.

According to him, they filed a motion for reconsideration against the judicial determination made by the Sandiganbayan finding probable cause to hold the senator on trial.

Revilla is detained at the Philippine National Police custodial center in Camp Crame for plunder and graft charges for allegedly pocketing P242 million in kickbacks from businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged brains behind the pork barrel scam.