Forfeiture case junked due to inordinate delay

MANILA, Philippines — The Court of Appeals (CA) has dismissed the civil forfeiture case filed by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) against three individuals allegedly involved in the multi-billion peso pork barrel scandal.

In a 17-page ruling dated Oct. 17, the CA’s Ninth Division granted the petition for certiorari of Hector Ang, Jacqueline Ang, and Nicole Tiffany Ang, who sought to overturn the Manila Regional Trial Court’s 2022 decision to dismiss their motion to dismiss the case.

READ: Upholding right to speedy trial

In their appeal to the CA, the petitioners argued that their constitutional right to a speedy trial was violated because it took eight years and five months between the submission of the last pleading and the conduct of the pretrial.

In granting the petition, the appellate court emphasized that the right to speedy disposition of cases is guaranteed by Section 16, Article III of the Constitution.

“This constitutional right is not limited to the accused in criminal proceedings but extends to all parties in all cases, be it civil or administrative in nature, as well as in all proceedings, either judicial or quasi-judicial,” said the decision, penned by Associate Justice Eleuterio Bathan. —Jane Bautista