A branch of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Pampanga has dismissed the estafa case against property developer Delfin Lee, his son, and three other co-accused, citing insufficiency of evidence.
In a 100-page resolution issued by the Third Judicial Region, Branch 42 in the City of San Fernando, Acting Presiding Judge Joel C. Bantasan ruled that the prosecution failed to establish the elements of estafa under Article 315 (2)(a) of the Revised Penal Code “or any lesser offense necessarily included therein,” warranting the dismissal of the criminal case on demurrer to evidence.
The court granted three separate demurrers to evidence dated July 17, 19, and 21, 2025, and ordered the dismissal of the case against Delfin Sy Lee, Dexter Lim Lee, Christina Iliarte Sagun, Cristina Dela Cruz Salagan, and Atty. Alex Madrina Alvarez.
The resolution clarified that the dismissal pertains only to the criminal case and is without prejudice to any civil action arising from other independent causes of action or obligations between the parties.
The court also took judicial notice of Civil Case No. 10-1120, titled “Globe Asiatique Realty Holdings Corporation and Delfin Lee v. Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG), its Board of Trustees and Emma Linda Faria,” which was the subject of a summary judgment before an RTC branch in Makati City. The outcome of that case, the court noted, would govern the parties’ respective civil claims.
The case stemmed from the controversial multi-billion peso housing project of Globe Asiatique in Bacolor and Mabalacat. In 2018, the Supreme Court of the Philippines downgraded the charge against Lee from syndicated estafa to simple estafa, allowing him to post bail for provisional liberty.
Previous rulings by the Court of Appeals and a Makati RTC branch had also cleared Lee. The Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund) and the Office of the Solicitor General had earlier stated that no ₱6.6-billion loss or damage was incurred by the government, contrary to earlier allegations.
In a statement, Lee said the latest ruling finally ends what he described as a long-running legal battle and puts to rest allegations surrounding the supposed multi-billion housing controversy.
The court also ordered the release of the cash bonds posted by the accused, amounting to ₱120,000 and ₱310,000, upon presentation of official receipts.
