The Supreme Court has affirmed the Ombudsman's 2012 dismissal of graft complaints filed against two former members of President Ferdinand Marcos' cabinet and six other individuals in connection with loans granted by the Philippine National Bank (PNB) in 1980.
In a decision made public in February, the Court upheld the Ombudsman's ruling that there was no probable cause to charge Roberto Ongpin and Jose Aspiras, who served in the Marcos administration, for alleged irregularities in the release of PNB loans during the martial law era.
The complaints, originally filed in 2012, were dismissed by the Ombudsman for lack of probable cause. The dismissal was later challenged before the Supreme Court, which reviewed the case and ultimately agreed with the Ombudsman's findings.
The Court's decision, dated January 17, put an end to the legal proceedings against the respondents, who were accused of graft in connection with the 1980 loan transactions. The identities of the six other individuals were not disclosed in the brief announcement, but they were included in the original complaints.
Ongpin and Aspiras were both key figures in the Marcos government, with Ongpin serving as Minister of Industry and Aspiras as Tourism Minister. The loans in question were part of a broader set of financial dealings that have been the subject of scrutiny in post-Marcos legal actions.
The Supreme Court's ruling effectively closes the case, reaffirming the Ombudsman's initial assessment that the evidence presented was insufficient to warrant criminal prosecution. The decision was released to the public in February, marking the culmination of a decade-long legal battle over the controversial loans.