Courts in the Philippines, Switzerland and the United States have ruled that certain assets and properties of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his family had been unlawfully acquired and ordered their return to the country, contrary to a claim of former journalist Rita Gadi that all cases against the Marcoses have been dismissed.
In a YouTube video titled ”Rebelasyon tungkol sa Marcos Wealth ayon kay Rita Gadi” posted Nov. 19, Gadi denied the Marcoses had ill-gotten wealth, saying (Claim starts at the 0:31 mark):
Not a single document could prove that the money in the accounts that they are accusing [the Marcoses] as having contained money did not come from the Filipino people. They were dismissed for lack of merit and evidence.
The video was originally uploaded by The Rita Gadi Chronicles YouTube channel in 2020, titled “What Did They Steal | The Rita Gadi Chronicles.”
In the Philippines, the Supreme Court has ordered the Marcoses to return their ill-gotten wealth to the Philippine government.
A 2003 Supreme Court decision ordered five Swiss Foundation bank accounts amounting to more than $658 million with interest as of January 2002 forfeited to the government.
In 2012, the high tribunal ruled that an account maintained by Arelma Inc., a corporate entity created by the late dictator with Merill Lynch in New York, be returned to the Philippines. As of 1983, the amount of the account had aggregated to $3,369,975 plus interest.
The ruling noted that Arelma “was purportedly organized for the same purpose of hiding ill-gotten wealth.”
A Supreme Court decision in 2017 affirmed a Sanidganbayan ruling directing the turnover to the Philippine government of pieces of jewelry known as the Malacañang Collection and valued at $110,055 to $153,089.
In addition, the Sandiganbayan in 2018 convicted former first lady Imelda Marcos of seven counts of violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act due to her “financial interest participation in the management of private foundations in Switzerland.” Each count carried a minimum of six years and one month and a maximum of 11 years prison sentence. She was also perpetually disqualified from holding any public post.
Court decisions abroad have also proved the family’s large-scale fraud.
In the United States, a court decision in New Jersey dated Sept. 13, 1986, declared that the $1.3 million worth of assets unlawfully possessed by the late dictator be turned over to the government of the Philippines. According to a report made by the United Press International, Superior Court Judge Paul G. Levy of the Chancery Division in the State of New Jersey ruled that the estate and cash rightfully belong to the Philippine government.
In Switzerland, the Federal Supreme Court affirmed the handover of the bank documents of the Marcoses to the Philippines in 1990 but ruled that the actual return of assets would be contingent upon the judgment of a Philippine court. In 1997, the Swiss Federal Court ruled that the majority of the Marcos foundation assets were ill-gotten and authorized its transfer to an account in Manila, even without an issued Philippine court ruling.
The erroneous video garnered 93,522 views since it was posted Nov. 19 on the YouTube channel “Pilipino,” with more than 30,000 subscribers.
While “The Rita Gadi Chronicles” YouTube channel, where this video was originally published, has 3,000 subscribers. Gadi, the former editor in Chief of the Philippine Chronicle, appears in the YouTube channel Katipunan ng Demokratikong Pilipino, where she uploads a weekly segment called “The Rita Gadi Hour.” This channel was included in a report made by ABS-CBN News about Marcos-related lies and propaganda that has spread online.
Another pro-Marcos video by Gadi has previously been fact-checked for its false claims. (RA)
References
Berdos, E. (2020, December 12). Propaganda web: Pro-Marcos literature, sites, and online disinformation linked. ABS-CBN News. https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/12/12/20/propaganda-web-pro-marcos-literature-sites-and-online-disinformation-linked
Estate of Ferdinand E. Marcos v. Republic of the Philippines, G.R. No. 213027. (2017). https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/1/62728?fbclid=IwAR3YTTE9lDDB_9Fys6C3ffsDJqcz6ERZ3XbxPXHbmHVgE0Ro9LqpPT9SfBY
Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. v. Republic of the Philippines, Represented by the Presidential Commission on Good Government, G.R. No. 189434.(2012). https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/1/54791?fbclid=IwAR2ApnBeo_63WXpRWdmfjuzaztc5bybMUoJS_eT54Zhp3hAWhvF-V91UoEg
Imelda R. Marcos v. the Honorable Sandiganbayan (First Division) and the People of Philippines, G.R. No. 126995. (1986). https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/1/36467
Pilipino. (2021, November 19). Rebelasyon tungkol sa Marcos Wealth ayon kay Rita Gadi (MUST WATCH VIDEO) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQlVFBTwGyE
Republic of the Philippines v. Sandiganbayan (Special First Division), Ferdinand E. Marcos (Represented by his Estate/Heirs: Imelda R. Marcos, Maria Imelda [Imee] Marcos-Manotoc, Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and Irene Marcos-Araneta), G.R. No. 152154). (2003). https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/1/48708?fbclid=IwAR0Ptw8TXupP1E74YHBCL5jWYjo9G0oOakxJtVWrZqhginzc4HKp8y8IT7M
Sullivan, J. F. (1986, September 13). Manila wins ruling in Jersey on Marcos estate and cash. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/13/world/manila-wins-ruling-in-jersey-on-marcos-estate-and-cash.html?fbclid=IwAR2oFs_f6DuamioOoRcp7FikGHrA-4wjsYkO83x0qgvtXaJHFupVAaA9zKc
Trenton, N.J. (1986, September 13). U.S. court gives Manila $1.3 million in Marcos assets. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-09-13-mn-11697-story.html?fbclid=IwAR2B3QcW5t7dU1teRvfF5lMmO9AFTBMQxT-iBy8HyL0r4NaAT1wzlg5eWl0
United Press International. (1987, July 31). Aquino government cashes in on Marcos property. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/07/31/Aquino-government-cashes-in-on-Marcos-property/5279554702400/
VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Video with multiple FALSE claims on Marcos' Swiss bank accounts back online. (2021, November 4). Vera Files. https://verafiles.org/articles/vera-files-fact-check-video-multiple-false-claims-marcos-swi
Zurcih, B. (2021). Philippines given access to over USD 683 million. Federal Office of Justice. https://www.bj.admin.ch/bj/en/home/aktuell/news/2003/2003-08-05.html?fbclid=IwAR0q3qpAtIyQmyqeFeIFpY0qyHu_nCfq-AES3vXddUbqrofOnk-AAxqKkrY