Republic Act No.

7080 (Plunder)

Plunder is a crime defined and penalized under Republic Act No. 7080, which became effective in 1991. This crime somehow modified certain crimes in the Revised
Penal Code insofar as the overt acts by which a public officer amasses, acquires, or accumulates ill-gotten wealth are felonies under the Revised Penal Code like bribery
(Articles 210, 211, 211-A), fraud against the public treasury [Article 213], other frauds (Article 214), malversation (Article 217), when the ill-gotten wealth amounts to a total
value of P50,000,000.00. The amount was reduced from P75,000,000.00 by Republic Act No. 7659 and the penalty was changed from life imprisonment to reclusion
perpetua to death.

Short of the amount, plunder does not arise. Any amount less than P50,000,000.00 is a violation of the Revised Penal Code or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Under the law on plunder, the prescriptive period is 20 years commencing from the time of the last overt act.

Plunder is committed through a combination or series of overt acts:

(1) Through misappropriation, conversion, misuse, or malversation of public funds or raids on the public treasury;

(2) By receiving, directly or indirectly, any commission, gift, share, percentage, kickbacks or any other form of pecuniary benefit from any person and/or entity in
connection with any government contract or project by reason of the office or position of the public officer;

(3) By illegal or fraudulent conveyance or disposition of asset belonging to the national government or any of its subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities or
government-owned or controlled corporations and their subsidiaries;

(4) By obtaining, receiving, or accepting directly or indirectly any shares of stock, equity or any other form of interest or participation including the promise of future
employment in any business or undertaking;

(5) By establishing agricultural, industrial, or commercial monopolies or other combinations and/or implementations of decrees and orders intended to benefit
particular persons or special interests; or

(6) By taking undue advantage of official position, authority, relationship, connection or influence to unjustly enrich himself or themselves at the expense and to the
damage and prejudice of the Filipino people, and the Republic of the Philippines.

While the crime appears to be malum prohibitum, Republic Act No. 7080 provides that “in the imposition of penalties, the degree of participation and the attendance of
mitigating and aggravating circumstances shall be considered by the court”.

ANTI-GRAFT AND CORRUPT PRACTICES ACT

RA 3019

 Persons Liable:

a. Any public officer who shall perform any of the following acts:

1. Persuading, inducing or influencing another public officer to perform an act constituting a violation of rules and regulations duly promulgated by
competent authority or an offense in connection with the official duties of the latter, or allowing himself to be persuaded, induced, or influenced to
commit such violation or offense.

2. Directly or indirectly requesting or receiving any gift, present, share, percentage, or benefit for himself or for any other person in connection with
any contract or transaction between the government and any other party wherein the public officer in his official capacity has to intervene under the
law.

3. Directly, or indirectly requesting or receiving any gift, present, or other pecuniary or material benefit, for himself or for another, from any person for
whom the public officer, in any manner of capacity, has secured or obtained, or will secure or obtain, any Government permit or license, in
consideration for the held given or to be given.

4. Accepting or having any member of his family accept employment in a private enterprise which has pending official business with him during the
pendency thereof or within one year after its termination.

5. Causing any undue injury to any party, including the Government, or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage, or preference in
the discharge of his official, administrative or judicial function through manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence. This
provision shall apply to officers and employees of offices or government corporations charged with the grant of licenses or permits or other
concessions.

6. Neglecting or refusing, after due demand or request, without sufficient justification, to act within a reasonable time on any matter pending before
him for the purpose of obtaining directly or indirectly, from any person interested in the matter some pecuniary or material benefit or advantage, or
for the purpose of favoring his own interest of giving undue advantage in favor of or discriminating against any other interested party.

7. Entering, on behalf of the Government, into any contract or transaction manifestly and grossly disadvantageous to the same, whether or not the
public officer profited or will profit thereby.

8. Directly or indirectly having financial or pecuniary interest in any business, contract or transaction in connection with which he intervenes or take
part in his official capacity, or in which he is prohibited by the constitution or by any law from having any interest.

9. Directly or indirectly becoming interested, for personal gain, or having a material interest in any transaction or act requiring the approval of a board,
panel, or group of which he is a member, and which exercises discretion in such approval, even if he votes against the same or does not
participate in the action of the board, committee, panel or group.

10. Knowingly approving or granting any license, permit, privilege, or benefit in favor of any person not qualified for or not legally entitled to such
license, permit, privilege, or advantage, or of a mere representative or dummy of one who is not so qualified or entitled.

11. Divulging valuable information of a confidential character, acquired by his office or by him on account of his official position to unauthorized
persons, or releasing such information in advance of its authorized release date.

b. Any person having family or close personal relation with any public official who shall capitalize or exploit or take advantage of such family or close
personal relation by directly or indirectly requesting or receiving any present, gift, or material, or pecuniary advantage from any person having some
business, transaction, application, request, or contact with the government in which such public official has to intervene (Sec. 4)

c. Any person who shall knowingly induce or cause any public official to commit any of the offenses under (A). (Sec. 4)
d. Spouse or any relative, by consanguinity or affinity, within the 3rd civil degree, of the president of the Philippines, the vice-president, the president of
the Senate, or speaker of the house of Representatives, who shall intervene, directly or indirectly, in any business transaction, contract or application
with the gov’t (Sec. 5).

This prohibition shall not apply to:

1. Any person who, prior to the assumption of office of any of the above officials to whom he is related, has been already dealing with the gov’t
along the same line of business;

2. Any transaction, contract or application already existing or pending at the time of such assumption of public office;

3. Any application filed by him, the approval of which is not discretionary on the part of the official(s) concerned but depends upon compliance
with requisites provided by law, or rules or regulations issued pursuant to law;

4. Any act lawfully performed an official capacity or in the exercise of a profession.

a. Any member of congress, during the term for which he has been elected, who shall acquire or receive any personal pecuniary interest in any
specific business enterprise which shall be directly and particularly favored or benefited by any law or resolution authored by him previously
approved or adopted by Congress during his term.

b. Any public officer who shall fail to file a true, detailed and sworn statement of assets and liabilities within 30 days after assuming office and
thereafter on or before the 15th day of April following the close of every calendar year, as well as upon the expiration of his term of office, or
upon his resignation or separation from office (Sec. 7).

I. Prima Facie Evidence of and Dismissal due to unexplained Wealth (Sec. 8)

 If a public official has been found to have acquired during his incumbency, whether in his name or in the name of other persons, an amount of property
and/or money manifestly out of proportion to his salary and to his other lawful income.

 Properties in the name of the spouse and dependents of such public official may be taken into consideration, when their acquisition through legitimate
means cannot be satisfactorily shown.

 Bank deposits in the name of or manifestly excessive expenditures incurred by the public official, his spouse or any of their dependents including but
not limited to activities in any club or association or any ostentatious display of wealth including frequent travel abroad of a non-official character by any
public official when such activities entail expenses evidently out of proportion to legitimate income.

III. Competent court: All prosecutions under this Act shall be within the original jurisdiction of the
Sandiganbayan (Sec. 10).

In case none of the principal accused are occupying positions corresponding to salary grade 27 or higher; PNP officers occupying the rank of
superintendent or higher of their equivalent, exclusive jurisdiction over the case shall be vested in the proper Regional Trial Court, Metropolitan Trial Court
and Municipal Circuit Trial Court as the case may be. The decision of the court in these cases shall be appealable to the Sandiganbayan which exercises
exclusive appellate jurisdiction over them.

IV. Prescription of offenses: all offenses punishable under this Act shall prescribe in 15 years (Sec. 11).

V. Exceptions: Unsolicited gifts or presents of small or insignificant value offered or given as a mere ordinary token of gratitude of friendship according to
local customs or usage, shall be excepted from the provisions of this act (Sec. 14).

Once the case is filed with the Sandiganbayan, by express provision of the law, it becomes incumbent upon the court to place under preventive
suspension the public officer who stands accused before it. However, before the order of suspension is issued, it is necessary that a pre-suspension
hearing be held by the court wherein the accused is afforded the opportunity to challenge the validity of the information filed against him. Such right of
the accused to challenge the validity of the information covers (a) the right to challenge the sufficiency of the recitals of the information vis-à-vis the
essential elements of the offense as defined by substantive law; (b) the right to challenge the validity of the criminal proceedings leading to the filing of
the information, i.e., that he has not been afforded the right of due preliminary investigation, or that the acts for which he stands charged do not
constitute a violation of the provisions of R.A. No. 3019, which would warrant his mandatory suspension from office under Section 13 of this Act; and (c)
the right to raise the issue that the information can be quashed under any of the grounds provided in Section 2, Rule 117 of the Rules of Court (People vs.
Albano, 163 SCRA 511).

Once the information is found to be sufficient in form and substance, the court must issue the suspension order as a matter of course and there are no ifs
and buts about it (Bayot vs. Sandiganbayan, et al., 128 SCRA 383).

Preventive suspension is resorted to in order to prevent the accused from using his office to intimidate witnesses or frustrate his prosecution or continue
committing malfeasance in office because the presumption is that unless the accused is suspended, he may frustrate his prosecution to commit further
acts of malfeasance or both (Bayot vs. Sandiganbayan, et al., supra).

“When the administrative case against the officer or employee under preventive suspension is not finally disposed of by the disciplining authority within
the period of ninety (90) days after the date of suspension of the respondent who is not a presidential appointee, the respondent shall be automatically
reinstated in the service: Provided, That when the delay in the disposition of the case is due to the fault, negligence or petition of the respondent, the
period of delay shall not be counted in computing the period of suspension herein provided.”(Segovia vs. Sandiganbayan)

The mere act of a public officer demanding an amount from a taxpayer to whom he is to render public service does not amount to bribery, but will amount to a violation of
the Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Illustration:

A court secretary received P500 .00 from a litigant to set a motion for an early hearing. This is direct bribery even if the act to be performed is within his official duty so
long as he received a consideration therefor.

If the secretary persuaded the judge to make a favorable resolution, even if the judge did not do so, this constitutes a violation of Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act,
Sub-Section A.

Under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, particularly Section 3, there are several acts defined as corrupt practices. Some of them are mere repetitions of the act
already penalized under the Revised Penal Code, like prohibited transactions under Article 215 and 216. In such a case, the act or omission remains to be mala in se.

But there are acts penalized under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act which are not penalized under the Revised Penal Code. Those acts may be considered as
mala prohibita. Therefore, good faith is not a defense.

Illustration:
“ CATCH ALL PROVISION”
Section 3 (e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act – causing undue injury to the government or a private party by giving unwarranted benefit to the party whom does
not deserve the same.

In this case, good faith is not a defense because it is in the nature of a malum prohibitum. Criminal intent on the part of the offender is not required. It is enough that he
performed the prohibited act voluntarily. Even though the prohibited act may have benefited the government. The crime is still committed because the law is not after the
effect of the act as long as the act is prohibited.

Section 3 (g) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act – where a public officer entered into a contract for the government which is manifestly disadvantageous to the
government even if he did not profit from the transaction, a violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act is committed.

If a public officer, with his office and a private enterprise had a transaction and he allows a relative or member of his family to accept employment in that enterprise, good
faith is not a defense because it is a malum prohibitum. It is enough that that the act was performed.

Where the public officer is a member of the board, panel or group who is to act on an application of a contract and the act involved one of discretion, any public officer
who is a member of that board, panel or group, even though he voted against the approval of the application, as long as he has an interest in that business enterprise
whose application is pending before that board, panel or group, the public officer concerned shall be liable for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. His
only course of action to avoid prosecution under the Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act is to sell his interest in the enterprise which has filed an application before that
board, panel or group where he is a member. Or otherwise, he should resign from his public position.

Illustration:

Sen. Dominador Aytono had an interest in the Iligan Steel Mills, which at that time was being subject of an investigation by the Senate Committee of which he was a
chairman. He was threatened with prosecution under Republic Act No. 3019 so he was compelled to sell all his interest in that steel mill; there is no defense. Because the
law says so, even if he voted against it, he commits a violation thereof.

These cases are filed with the Ombudsman and not with the regular prosecutor’s office. Jurisdiction is exclusively with the Sandiganbayan. The accused public officer
must be suspended when the case is already filed with the Sandiganbayan.

Under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, the public officer who is accused should not be automatically suspended upon the filing of the information in court. It is the
court which will order the suspension of the public officer and not the superior of that public officer. As long as the court has not ordered the suspension of the public
officer involved, the superior of that public officer is not authorized to order the suspension simply because of the violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The court will not order the suspension of the public officer without first passing upon the validity of the information filed in court. Without a hearing, the suspension would
be null and void for being violative of due process.

Illustration:

A public officer was assigned to direct traffic in a very busy corner. While there, he caught a thief in the act of lifting the wallet of a pedestrian. As he could not leave his
post, he summoned a civilian to deliver the thief to the precinct. The civilian agreed so he left with the thief. When they were beyond the view of the policeman, the civilian
allowed the thief to go home. What would be the liability of the public officer?

The liability of the traffic policeman would be merely administrative. The civilian has no liability at all.
Firstly, the offender is not yet a prisoner so there is no accountability yet. The term “prisoner” refers to one who is already booked and incarcerated no matter how short
the time may be.

The policeman could not be said as having assisted the escape of the offender because as the problem says, he is assigned to direct traffic in a busy corner street. So he
cannot be considered as falling under the third 3rd paragraph of Article 19 that would constitute his as an accessory.

The same is true with the civilian because the crime committed by the offender, which is snatching or a kind of robbery or theft as the case may be, is not one of those
crimes mentioned under the third paragraph of Article 19 of the Revised Penal Code.

Where the public officer is still incumbent, the prosecution shall be with the Ombudsman.

Where the respondent is separated from service and the period has not yet prescribed, the information shall be filed in any prosecution’s office in the city where the
respondent resides. The prosecution shall file the case in the Regional Trial Court unless the violation carries a penalty higher than prision correccional, in which case the
Sandiganbayan has jurisdiction.

The fact that the government benefited out of the prohibited act is no defense at all, the violation being mala prohibita.

Section 3 (f) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act – where the public officer neglects or refuses to act on a matter pending before him for the purpose of obtaining
any pecuniary or material benefit or advantage in favor of or discriminating against another interested party.

The law itself additionally requires that the accused’s dereliction, besides being without justification, must be for the purpose of obtaining from any person interested in the
matter some pecuniary or material benefit or for the purpose of favoring any interested party, or discriminating against another interested party. This element is
indispensable.

In other words, the neglect or refusal to act must motivated by gain or benefit, or purposely to favor the other interested party as held in Coronado v. SB, decided on
August 18, 1993.

Republic Act No. 1379 (Forfeiture of Ill-gotten Wealth)

Correlate with RA 1379 -- properly under Remedial Law. This provides the procedure for forfeiture of the ill-gotten wealth in violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt
Practices Act. The proceedings are civil and not criminal in nature.

Any taxpayer having knowledge that a public officer has amassed wealth out of proportion to this legitimate income may file a complaint with the prosecutor’s office of the
place where the public officer resides or holds office. The prosecutor conducts a preliminary investigation just like in a criminal case and he will forward his findings to the
office of the Solicitor General. The Solicitor General will determine whether there is reasonable ground to believe that the respondent has accumulated an unexplained
wealth.

If the Solicitor General finds probable cause, he would file a petition requesting the court to issue a writ commanding the respondent to show cause why the ill-gotten
wealth described in the petition should not be forfeited in favor of the government. This is covered by the Rules on Civil Procedure. The respondent is given 15 days to
answer the petition. Thereafter trial would proceed. Judgment is rendered and appeal is just like in a civil case. Remember that this is not a criminal proceeding. The basic
difference is that the preliminary investigation is conducted by the prosecutor.