MANILA — The Sandiganbayan on Wednesday deferred its set hearing on the forfeiture case of the Marcos family’s multi-million-dollar art collection to June 6, 2018.
The anti-graft court’s First Division rescheduled the hearing, which was supposed to be on Wednesday (March 14), due to a pending civil case on the Marcos wealth before the Supreme Court (SC).
In a motion for partial summary judgment filed on Feb. 24, 2016, the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) asked the Sandiganbayan to forfeit in favor of the government some of the Marcos family’s alleged illegally acquired real estate properties, company shares, jewelry, and artwork collection.
The artworks sought to be forfeited are 152 paintings with an estimated value of USD11.84 million; 27 paintings and sculptures discovered at the sequestered Metropolitan Museum of Manila with an assessed value of USD548,445; and 12 paintings by American artist Anna Mary “Grandma Moses” Robertson said to have been purchased at about USD370,000.
The PCGG also asked the Sandiganbayan that former First Lady and now Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos be deemed to have waived her right to contest the forfeiture for failing to file her comment or opposition despite being given the chance to do so.
However, the SC stopped the proceedings in July 2016 and ordered the anti-graft court to turn over all documents to complete its records of Civil Case No. 0141.
Records of the case consist of 35 volumes containing 17,238 pages of documents, including the original complaint, various pleadings by the parties and rulings of the Sandiganbayan First Division since the original filing of the case on Dec. 17, 1991.
In the estimates of the PCGG, the artworks would now cost USD24 million. (PNA)
