Imelda Marcos acquitted

She is back in the news-

MANILA, Philippines - A court Wednesday acquitted the flamboyant widow of dictator Ferdinand Marcos of five counts of tax evasion, court officials and her lawyer said.

Imelda Marcos, a wealthy socialite who gained fame for her diamond-encrusted tiaras and 1,220 pairs of shoes, had at one point faced more than 900 criminal and civil cases, mostly for violation of graft and corruption laws during her husband's 20-year rule.

But many have been dismissed, with only 40 criminal cases and fewer than 20 civil suits remaining, said her lawyer, Robert Sison.

Judge Rosa Samson-Tatad of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court dismissed the tax evasion cases against Marcos after noting "the failure of the prosecution to discharge the burden of proof and overcome the constitutional presumption of innocence."

The five cases include Marcos' alleged failure to file a tax return and to pay $730 in taxes on her income in 1985 as an officer of two government agencies; her alleged failure to pay $124 million in estate taxes in 1989; and to file a tax return for estate worth $206.5 million. A fifth case is for her alleged failure to notify the tax bureau of her husband's death in 1989.

"Thank God that at last, after 21 years, once again, justice for the Marcos family has prevailed," Marcos said in a statement. "I am very happy, because this is not just for the Marcoses — justice for the Marcoses will ultimately (lead to) to justice for the Filipino people."

An emotional Marcos wept when the judge announced the dismissal of the cases.

A "people power" revolt ousted Ferdinand Marcos in February 1986, forcing him and his family to flee to Hawaii, where he died in exile in 1989.

Philippine politicians have a long history of looting the public treasury and getting away with it. Marcos well exemplifies that and my wife's saying, 'Same dog, different collar'. The justice for the Marcoses leading to justice for the Filipino people quote wants to make me gag.

On a side note, my wife's family is from the same Philippine island(Leyte)as Imelda Marcos. While they were still in power, my brother-in-law Leoncio was hired to play the piano at parties Imelda was having in Tacloban. Just this week Leoncio met Imelda again, and she wants to hire my brother-in-law's services. Over twenty years and not much has changed. Filipinos love their music.

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