Marcoleta pleads not guilty in 2nd ‘gift’ raps with Defensor

Sen. Rodante Marcoleta INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE MANILA, Philippines — Senator Rodante Marcoleta and former congressman Mike Defensor on Wednesday pleaded not guilty before the Sandiganbayan to charges of violating Presidential Decree (PD) No. 46, which bars government officials from accepting gifts. An arraignment marks the formal start of criminal trial proceedings, requiring the accused to appear in court, where the charges are read before they enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. State prosecutors filed three counts of violating PD No. 46 against Marcoleta. Article continues after this advertisement Marcoleta’s two other PD No. 46 cases are being handled by the Sandiganbayan’s First and Third Divisions. Aristotle Viray is Marcoleta’s co-accused in the case before the First Division, while Joseph Espiritu is his co-accused in the case before the Third Division. Earlier, Marcoleta and Espiritu pleaded not guilty to charges of violating PD No. 46. READ: Marcoleta pleads not guilty to plunder, 1 of 3 ‘gift’ raps A non-bailable plunder charge was also handled by the Sandiganbayan Third Division against Marcoleta, Espiritu and businessmen Espiritu and Viray, over a P75 million campaign donation the senator received while being a sitting party-list lawmaker, which, according to state prosecutors, was not declared in the senator’s financial and campaign disclosures. Of the said donation, P30 million came from Defensor, P25 million from Espiritu, and P20 million from Viray. /jpv Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful.