Sandigan also freezes assets under aliases of Revilla, wife

The Sandiganbayan on Friday included properties registered under the aliases of detained Sen. Bong Revilla and his wife, actress and Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado, in the freeze order it issued on the assets of the couple.

In granting the prosecution’s motion, the antigraft court’s First Division said the addition of the properties in the writ of attachment under the “other known names” of the Revillas “will not even, in any way, change the import” of its Feb. 5 resolution.

In its Feb. 5 resolution, the court barred the Revillas from accessing all assets and bank deposits identified by the prosecution under the senator’s legal name, Ramon B. Revilla Jr., and that of his wife, Lani Hernandez Mercado, amounting to P224.5 million.

The amount represents the total kickbacks Revilla allegedly received for siphoning off his pork barrel funds to the bogus foundations of businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.

Those ordered frozen were assets under the names of “Revilla Jr. Ramon,” “Bong,” “Jose Marie M. Bautista,” “Jose Marie Mortel Bautista,” “Ramon Bong Jr. Bautista,” “Ramon Bong Bautista” and “Bautista Jose Marie.”

Also included were properties of “Mercado Lani Hernandez,” “Bautista Jesusa Victoria,” “Jesusa Victoria H. Bautista” and “Lani Mercado Revilla.”