Courtesy: Voa News
A PASIG Regional Trial Court has dismissed the Anti-Dummy Law case against Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa and five other Rappler officials.
In an 11-page decision, Judge Marie Joyce Manongsong granted the demurrers to evidence filed by Ressa, Nico Jose Nolledo, Glenda M. Gloria, Manuel I. Ayala, Felicia Atienza, and James Velasquez.
The court found the prosecution’s evidence insufficient to establish the criminal liability of the accused beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case stemmed from a complaint filed with the Pasig RTC accusing Ressa and the other officials of allowing Omidyar Network Fund, a foreign corporation, to interfere in Rappler’s operations through the issuance of Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDRs) to the investment firm in 2015.
This action was linked to a 2018 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) order revoking Rappler’s incorporation papers, alleging violation of constitutional restrictions on foreign ownership of mass media.
However, the court noted that the SEC decision did not identify the individual roles of each accused in the PDR transaction with Omidyar, instead relying on their corporate positions within Rappler and Rappler Holdings Corporation (RHCI).
The court criticized the prosecution for simply adopting the SEC’s findings without providing sufficient evidence of the specific actions of each accused leading to the PDR issuance.
Furthermore, the court found no evidence of negotiations between Ressa, representing Rappler and RHCI, and Omidyar, and highlighted that not all accused were directors of RHCI; Atienza and Velasquez, for instance, were only Rappler directors.
The prosecution’s failure to present board resolutions, corporate records, or other evidence establishing the individual involvement of each accused in the PDR issuance ultimately led to the dismissal of the case.
