Imelda Marcos sentenced to six years in corruption case

Widow of Philippine dictator convicted over Swiss bank accounts but unlikely to be jailed

FILE PHOTO: Philippines Former First Lady and Congresswoman Imelda Marcos waves to supporters as she takes part in the announcement of her son BongBong Marcos' vice-presidential candidacy, in Manila Philippines October 10, 2015.  REUTERS/Erik De Castro/File Photo
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Imelda Marcos was found guilty of corruption on Friday and ordered arrested in a rare conviction for the former Philippine first lady accused with her late dictator husband of embezzling billions of dollars from state coffers.

However, Marcos, 89, can appeal the ruling and post bail, which would allow her to remain free while the case grinds through the country's notoriously slow justice system.

The verdict from the anti-graft Sandiganbayan court orders her to serve a minimum of six years behind bars over charges the Marcoses funneled roughly $200 million (Dh740m) through Swiss foundations decades ago.

Ferdinand Marcos, who along with cronies was accused of pilfering $10 billion from the Philippines, fled with his family to the US after a people's uprising ended his 20-year rule in 1986.

Marcos died in 1989 while still in exile. But his heirs later returned to Manila and have since staged a political comeback. Imelda Marcos is currently a congresswoman.

As a government official in the Marcos administration, Imelda was barred by law from having any financial interest from the Swiss foundations, said the ruling.

"The couple opened all those accounts in Switzerland, and they used pseudonyms to hide their ownership. The president chose William Saunders and Imelda Marcos used Jane Ryan," special prosecutor Ryan Quilala told reporters.

Marcos's lawyers could not be reached, while a press aide told AFP there was no immediate comment.

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Court officials said Marcos would be able to avoid incarceration by posting an as yet undetermined bail and has the right to appeal her conviction to the nation's highest legal authority, the Supreme Court.

The body has previously undone a case against her, overturning a 24-year jail sentence in 1993 on graft charges. She ran for congress and won while her appeal was under way.

The family's notoriety stems back to Ferdinand Marcos declaring martial law in 1972. That allowed him to shutter the legislature, muzzle the free press and jail or kill those who opposed his dictatorship.

In the decades since Marcos's ouster the effort to recover the pilfered money has been halting and uneven.

However, the Philippine Supreme Court in 2003 ordered $680m in funds stashed by the Marcoses in Swiss banks to be handed to the government.

The funds had earlier been turned over by the Swiss judiciary after concluding that the funds were stolen from the Manila government.

The younger generation of Marcoses have led high-profile careers, despite the dark past associated with their name.

Imelda and Ferdinand's daughter Imee Marcos is the governor of the family's northern stronghold of Ilocos Norte province and helped bankroll the 2016 election campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte, according to him.

Imelda's son, also named Ferdinand, almost won the separate election for vice president that year.

He has put the count under protest and hopes to run for president after Mr Duterte's term ends in mid-2022.