The Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA) has called the Sandiganbayan’s junking of the case against the Marcoses a denial of justice to the Filipino people. The decision was released on October 4 and is the seventh to be dismissed under the current regime.

“The Filipino people have once again been denied justice by the Sandiganbayan,” martial law victim and CARMMA spokesperson Judy Taguiwalo said. The case ruled in favor of the Marcoses’ “motion to dismiss” due to “inordinate delay” resulting from the prosecution’s failure to pursue the case for the past 37 years.

The case involved 12 properties in the Philippines and the US worth ₱276 million, which the Marcoses purchased through their dummy, Roman Cruz Jr. These included two houses and two condominiums in Baguio City, a building in Makati, a parcel of land in Metro Manila, and properties and six condominiums in California, US.

A total of 28 criminal cases and 43 civil and forfeiture cases were filed against the Marcoses in the Sandiganbayan from 1986 to 1995. Seven of these cases have been dismissed, all under the current regime. The Marcoses have recovered an estimated ₱2.3 billion in ill-gotten wealth from these cases.

“This slew of injustices forms a pattern too obvious to miss,” Taguiwalo said.

The group emphasized that Ferdinand Marcos Jr is clearly determined to wield state power for his family’s recovery of all ill-gotten wealth they amassed during his father’s time.