Last chance for Imelda Marcos

Last chance for Imelda Marcos

MANILA (AP): Lawyers for Imelda Marcos on Thursday made their
final appeal before the Philippine Supreme Court to keep the
widow of the former leader from serving a 12-year jail term for
graft.

In 1993, Imelda was found to have violated the anti-graft law
on two counts involving the lease of government property and was
sentenced to 24 years in jail.

In January of this year, the high tribunal acquitted the widow
of dictator Ferdinand Marcos of one charge but upheld her
conviction on the second charge, which carried a maximum prison
term of 12 years. She was also fined 189 million pesos ($4.3
million).

Imelda and former transportation minister Jose Dans were
accused of entering into five "unfavorable" contracts involving
the government-run commuter railway and the private Philippine
General Hospital Foundation.