The Sandiganbayan Special Division junked Civil Case 0141 on June 2, the remaining case on the Marcos family’s stolen wealth, citing significant delays in the prosecution’s submission of evidence. The case was filed on December 17, 1991 and had been pending for more than 30 years. It involves ₱50 billion in Marcos ill-gotten wealth. The court ruled after the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) declared it would no longer present additional evidence.

The PCGG was established in February 1986 after Ferdinand Marcos Sr was ousted. As the first order and agency set up by the Corazon Aquino government, it declared its aim to recover all stolen wealth of the Marcos family and its cronies, estimated at around ₱589 billion ($10 billion).

For four decades, the agency recovered only around ₱280 billion in cash and assets, including $658 million in Swiss deposits, $3.37 million hidden in New York, Imelda Marcos’ jewelry, proceeds from the sale of paintings worth $17 million, and 57.68 hectares of land in Palawan declared ill-gotten wealth in 2024.

However, the PCGG failed to pursue many cases, while courts dismissed others for lack of evidence or after the agency stopped gathering evidence and taking necessary legal actions.

Recovery of stolen wealth

Successive regimes did not vigorously pursue the recovery of the Marcoses’ stolen wealth for nearly four decades. Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Imelda Marcos struck a deal with the Ramos administration in 1992 to split their wealth and shield it from sequestration—a move the court declared “prejudicial.” The court cited them for contempt and imposed a $353 million fine, which has ballooned to an estimated $18 billion as the mother and son ignored the ruling.

The Marcos family also lost several cases from 2013 to 2021, including Imelda Marcos’s 2018 conviction on seven counts of graft. The court sentenced her to 42–77 years in prison, a penalty that has never been enforced.

As the family returned to politics, they pursued image rehabilitation and the gradual recovery of their wealth. Marcos Jr’s presidency accelerated the dismissal of cases against their family. A total of 28 criminal and 43 civil cases were filed against them from 1986–1995. Since Ferdinand Marcos Jr assumed power in 2022, the Sandiganbayan has dismissed at least nine cases involving around ₱400 billion in wealth.

The people do not forget

The Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA) condemned the Sandiganbayan’s dismissal of the forfeiture case covering ₱50 billion in Marcos ill-gotten wealth. It said Marcos Jr has fulfilled his aim of reclaiming properties confiscated by the state while continuing to benefit from ongoing corruption.

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) joined the Filipino people in denouncing the Sandiganbayan’s decision. It said the ruling is one in a series of earlier court decisions favoring the Marcoses.

CPP chief information officer Marco Valbuena said past Sandiganbayan and Supreme Court rulings show how the Marcoses use political power to amass vast wealth from public funds. He said these moves pave way for further privilege and corruption, intensifying the anger of a people who do not forget the billions in stolen wealth and the thousands of victims of the dictatorship’s abuses.