The Story:
A court in the Philippines has convicted Imelda Marcos, the widow of that country’s one-time strongman Ferdinand Marcos, on four counts of graft, and has ordered her arrest and imprisonment. Marcos plans to appeal.
Background:
Ferdinand Marcos was President of the Philippines from 1965 until his overthrow in 1986. For much of that time, he ran the country as an overt dictatorship, under martial law. Ferdinand passed away in exile in 1989.
Two years after Ferdinand’s death, President Corazon Aquino allowed Imelda to return to the country. Imelda has taken an active role in Filipino politics ever since, and is currently serving her third term as a representative for the second district of Iloconos Norte in the Lower House.
The verdict could yet be overturned by the Supreme Court, and pending her appeal Imelda remains free and remains a legislator. Further, President Duterte, who admires the Marcos’, could extend a pardon if the appeal fails.
The Thing to Know:
Despite those possibilities, a former chair of the country’s Human Rights Commission says news of the conviction and arrest order has her “jumping up and down in joy in disbelief.”
