(UPDATE) MANILA, Philippines — A former lawmaker, lawyer and 18 ex-Marines are going through legal and cyberlibel prices earlier than the Division of Justice (DOJ) for linking some people to alleged multibillion peso money deliveries to authorities officers and the Worldwide Prison Courtroom (ICC) contained in items of baggage
Nationwide Safety Adviser Eduardo Año filed legal prices in opposition to former consultant Mike Defensor, lawyer Levi Baligod, and the 18 former Marines over what he described have been “malicious imputations” and fabricated allegations on the alleged paper bag cash alternate.
The respondents have been charged by Año with illegal technique of publication and illegal utterances earlier than the DOJ on Wednesday.
Año mentioned that the submitting of prices marked solely the primary authorized motion he supposed to pursue in opposition to these he believed orchestrated the accusations.
“I used to be actually stunned. And naturally you possibly can say I’m actually mad with their malicious imputations. By no means in my life would I do this. That is why I am going after them. That is simply the primary case,” he mentioned.
Año additionally denied allegations that he obtained cash via paper baggage, stressing that such accusations run opposite to his a long time of service within the navy and authorities.”
In the meantime, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday filed legal complaints in opposition to Baligod, 18 former marines, and a number of other pro-Duterte personalities for cyberlibel, perjury, and incriminating an harmless particular person in reference to the identical money deliveries.
The 26-page complaint-affidavit was filed earlier than the DOJ focusing on Baligod and the 18 self-confessed former safety aides of resigned AKO Bikol party-list consultant Zaldy Co, who claimed in a press convention final month to have delivered billions in money to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., lawmakers, and even Trillanes himself.
Additionally named respondents have been former authorities official Lorraine Badoy-Partosa, vlogger Cathy Binag, Defensor, and veteran broadcaster Jay Sonza for his or her social media posts amplifying the allegations.
On the heart of the criticism is the Feb. 24, 2026 press convention organized by Baligod at Membership Filipino in San Juan, the place the 18 self-described former marines detailed their alleged firsthand information of “maleta” or baggage deliveries containing P805 billion in money to numerous officers. Baligod particularly claimed that Trillanes obtained $2 million to fund and facilitate the ICC investigation into former president Rodrigo Duterte’s conflict on medicine.
“As an alternative of doing his job as a lawyer, by serving to his purchasers to arrange their pleading and aiding them in submitting a case or presenting the identical earlier than the suitable discussion board, nonetheless, Atty. Baligod gleefully turned himself into a personality murderer,” Trillanes mentioned in his criticism.
The previous senator argued that the timing of the press convention — held on the eve of the Edsa Individuals Energy anniversary and through the second day of ICC hearings for the affirmation of prices in opposition to Duterte — was intentionally malicious and designed to undermine the integrity of the worldwide proceedings.
Trillanes maintained that his involvement with the ICC case in opposition to Duterte, which dates again to 2017, was pushed by ethical conviction and never financial achieve. He cited a press release from the ICC Workplace of the Prosecutor clarifying that every one investigation prices are coated by the court docket’s accredited finances and managed independently.
“The submitting of the ICC case was accomplished out of my ethical {and professional} conviction and responsibility as elected consultant of the folks. I used to be not motivated by cash then to file the case in opposition to probably the most highly effective man within the nation earlier than the ICC,” Trillanes careworn.
The criticism additionally highlighted social media posts from Badoy, Binag, Defensor, and Sonza that allegedly helped unfold the defamatory statements. Badoy’s posts referred to Trillanes as “Trilling” and a “most rotten soiled scoundrel,” whereas Binag questioned his sources of earnings. Defensor broadcast the press convention reside on Fb, and Sonza shared detailed summaries of the allegations to his practically 400,000 followers.
Trillanes invoked a Supreme Courtroom ruling in Domingo v. Badoy-Partosa, which held that on-line content material creators with massive followings needs to be held to the identical customary as journalists and could be penalized for recklessly publishing falsehoods.
For the 18 ex-marines, Trillanes is urgent perjury prices, arguing that their notarized joint affidavit contained deliberate falsehoods. He pointed to inconsistencies of their statements, together with admissions throughout a “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” interview that they didn’t personally witness the alleged cash switch to him.
“These hearsays and blatant inconsistencies on whether or not or not the affiants truly and personally noticed the switch of the alleged ‘maleta’ containing $2 million to me betray the lies and fabrications essentially invented to launch and maintain this smear marketing campaign,” Trillanes mentioned.
Baligod, in the meantime, faces an extra cost of incriminating an harmless particular person underneath Article 363 of the Revised Penal Code. Trillanes famous that Baligod later contradicted himself in media interviews, first claiming Trillanes obtained the funds, then denying the ex-senator was immediately given cash, and even accusing Trillanes of kidnapping in reference to Duterte’s eventual detention in The Hague.
Trillanes argued that since he was now not a public officer, crimes like bribery or corruption of public officers couldn’t apply to him, making Baligod’s imputations a transparent violation of the legislation.
The complainant urged the Justice Division to seek out possible trigger in opposition to all respondents and file the suitable informations in court docket.
“After his fifteen minutes of fame, he should be held to account for his clear transgression of the legislation, along with all his cohorts, who supplied him ethical consolation and materials support, and connived with him in publicizing his tall story of lies,” Trillanes mentioned.