THE Sandiganbayan Special Third Division refused to allow Jessica “Gigi” Reyes, former chief of staff of senatorial hopeful Juan Ponce Enrile, to post bail for her plunder charge.
Reyes is currently detained at Taguig City Jail of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) at Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig, since she is one of the accused in the P172,834,500 priority development assistance fund (PDAF) scam.
Together with Enrile, Reyes has been accused of helping endorse businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles’ fake non-government organizations in exchange for kickbacks.
Reyes tried to convince the Sandiganbayan to allow her to post bail, arguing that the evidence of guilt against her is not strong.
“In the instant case, accused Reyes has consistently maintained that she is entitled to bail because no evidence of her guilt for the crime of Plunder as charged by the Prosecution, exists,” her motion read.
“There being thus no evidence, let alone strong evidence that accused Reyes is guilty of the crime charged, accused Reyes is entitled to bail as a matter of right,” it added.
However, the court believed otherwise. In a 253-page resolution, the court stated that the prosecution had presented sufficient proof that Reyes actively participated in the commission of the crime of plunder, such as the endorsement letters for Napoles’ NGOs. (Czarina Nicole O. Ong)