President Marcos welcomes Supreme Court reversal of Imelda Marcos graft conviction

Manila officials reported that the Supreme Court reversed the Sandiganbayan’s November 2018 ruling that found Imelda Marcos guilty of seven graft offenses tied to Swiss charitable foundations. The high court determined the anti-graft court had mistakenly treated the Swiss paperwork as properly authenticated. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he was glad the decision removed a long-standing cloud over his family and stressed it would not affect his selection of a new Supreme Court head after Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo’s retirement.

Imelda Marcos, aged 97 and former first lady, had been sentenced to six years and one month, up to 11 years for each count. The Office of the Ombudsman had linked over $200 million of public money to the foundations. The ruling marks a significant legal reversal in a case that has long symbolized accusations of corruption against the Marcos family.