Bong Revilla's arrest imminent

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE 2) — The Sandiganbayan on Thursday declared that it has found sufficient grounds for probable cause in the plunder case against Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr.

The Sandiganbayan First Division, chaired by Associate Justice Efren De La Cruz, issued a six-page resolution dismissing the motions for judicial determination filed by Revilla, his former aide Richard Cambe and 31 other co-accused in the "pork barrel" scam.

"The evidence in support thereof and the records of the preliminary investigation attached thereto, it appears that sufficient grounds exist for the finding of probable cause for the purpose of issuing a warrant of arrest against the accused charged in the instant cases," they said in the six-page document.

The senator is facing 16 counts of plunder and graft charges before the anti-graft court's First Division.

Other senators, Juan Ponce Enrile and Jinggoy Estrada, are also facing plunder charges before the Third and Fifth divisions of the anti-graft court in connection with the pork barrel fund scam.

Members of the media covering the Sandiganbayan were expecting the issuance of the arrest warrant late afternoon. Reports, however, said that the arrest warrant could not be issued because the magistrates have not signed it as of this posting, which was already past court hours.