Former Senate president Francis “Chiz” Escudero. Photo courtesy of PNA.
The Sandiganbayan Sixth Division on Monday began hearing a petition for a precautionary hold departure order (PHDO) against Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero and his alleged associate Maynard Ngu.
The petition stemmed from a verified ex parte filing by the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with complaints of plunder, graft and bribery filed before the anti-graft court over the weekend.
Court proceedings were conducted without the presence of the respondents or their lawyers, consistent with the ex parte nature of the petition.
Associate Justice Sarah Jane Fernandez noted that the hearing was classified as confidential, leading to restrictions on public access.
Media personnel were instructed to leave the courtroom, with only prosecutors from the Ombudsman allowed to remain during the proceedings.
Fernandez said the restriction was imposed due to concerns over possible compromise of evidence if the hearing was made public.
The court briefly suspended proceedings before resuming the hearing.
A PHDO is a court directive that temporarily prevents individuals facing serious criminal allegations from leaving the country while the case is being assessed, without determining guilt.
Escudero has been linked to allegations raised by a state witness in a separate investigation involving infrastructure project anomalies, which he has denied, calling the claims politically motivated.
Authorities earlier indicated that related cases may be elevated to the Sandiganbayan, while a separate travel restriction order has also been issued against another official implicated in the same probe.