Marcoleta plunder trial: A dozen witnesses set to to testify

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Rodante Marcoleta and his co-accused during the trial proper of his plunder case before the Sandiganbayan Third Division on October 8 will be up against a dozen witnesses who will testify against them, government prosecutors said Friday.

With his donor, former Rep. Mike Defensor, and businessmen Joseph Espiritu and Aristotle Viray, the senator faces plunder charges over the ₱75-million campaign donation that the senator received while he was a sitting party-list lawmaker. According to prosecutors, the donation was not declared in the senator’s financial and campaign disclosures.

The court to set the pretrial proceedings after they all pleaded not guilty to the charges. The proceedings were terminated Friday after the anti-graft court finalized the schedule for their bail hearing and trial proper.

Associate Justice Karl Miranda, Third Division chairperson, asked the prosecution how many witnesses it intends to present for the bail hearing on Sept. 3.

READ: Sandiganbayan sets Marcoleta suspension, bail hearings

Fewer than 12 at bail hearing

Initially, prosecutors said they intend to present all 12 witnesses listed for the trial proper at the bail hearing.

“The court wants to clarify whether the prosecutor intends to present all 12 witnesses,” Miranda asked the prosecutors.

“Remember, this is a summary hearing,” the chairperson also said of the bail hearing.

In response, the prosecutors slashed the number of their witnesses to eight after Marcoleta’s camp stipulated or agreed on the matters regarding his identity.

Initially, prosecutors told the court that Marcoleta’s defense team was not willing to stipulate that the former senator was a public official at that time.

Miranda then asked Marcoleta if he could stipulate that he was a public official, since he was a party-list representative at the time.

Marcoleta himself said he was already willing to stipulate that he was a public official.

The last day of Marcoleta and his co-accused’s bail hearing is slated on October 1.

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