MANILA — Sen. Rodante Marcoleta formally pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to plunder and anti-graft charges before the Sandiganbayan Third Division, clearing the way for the high-profile case to proceed to pretrial after he withdrew his bid to have the plunder complaint dismissed.
Marcoleta denied the plunder charge, which arose from allegations that he failed to declare P75 million in campaign donations, as well as a separate charge for allegedly violating Presidential Decree No. 46, which prohibits government officials from accepting gifts.
Businessman Joseph Espiritu, Marcoleta’s co-accused in the anti-graft case, also pleaded not guilty during the arraignment.
Before entering his plea, Marcoleta withdrew his motion seeking the dismissal of the plunder case, allowing the arraignment to proceed. The senator said he decided to withdraw the motion to expedite the resolution of the case.
Former congressman Mike Defensor and businessmen Joseph Espiritu and Aristotle Viray, who are also named in the plunder complaint, had earlier been arraigned and likewise pleaded not guilty.
All four accused remain detained at the Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory in Payatas after being committed to the custody of the anti-graft court.
The Sandiganbayan Third Division, chaired by Associate Justice Karl Miranda, has yet to resolve the petitions for bail filed by Marcoleta and Viray.
The court scheduled the case for pretrial on Aug. 10 at 8:30 a.m., during which the prosecution and defense are expected to identify undisputed facts and mark documentary and other evidence before the formal trial begins./PN
