Senator Marcoleta Arrested in Plunder Case Over Unreported Campaign Funds

Sen. Rodante Marcoleta surrendered to the Sandiganbayan and was arrested on non-bailable plunder charges over alleged nondisclosure of P75 million in campaign donations. The arrest followed the court’s denial of his motions to quash the information; co-accused Mike Defensor and businessmen Aristotle Viray and Joseph Espiritu were also arrested. Marcoleta underwent medical clearance and was to be detained at Payatas Jail, as prosecutors pursue the case under the Anti-Plunder Act. The timing intersected with Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, and the court stressed that an arrest warrant is not a finding of guilt, with prosecutors given three days to file comments on the motions to quash.