Philippines to auction huge cache of ill-gotten jewellery seized from Imelda Marcos, wife of former dictator Ferdinand

The items, estimated to be worth about US$19 million in 2015, include Indian diamonds, Burmese rubies and Colombian emeralds

They were seized in Hawaii, where the Marcos family had been living in exile following the so-called People Power Revolution of 1986

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An appraiser from Christie's auction house inspects some of the jewellery that was seized. Photo: AP

Published: 8:58pm, 4 Jun 2019Updated: 10:15pm, 4 Jun 2019

A rare 25-carat pink diamond is among the millions of dollars worth of jewellery seized from the Philippines’ former first lady Imelda Marcos that will now be publicly auctioned, after years of her contesting the move in court.

President Rodrigo Duterte, an ally of the Marcos family, has formally approved the sale of three jewellery sets, his executive secretary confirmed on Tuesday. The items, estimated to be worth about US$19 million in 2015, include Indian diamonds, Burmese rubies and Colombian emeralds. They had been stored at the Philippines’ central bank after being seized in Honolulu, Hawaii, where the Marcos family lived in exile following the so-called People Power Revolution of 1986.

President Rodrigo Duterte is an ally of the Marcos family. Photo: EPA

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialde told reporters that the state’s anti-corruption agency, the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), had been informed about the upcoming sale.

“An order has already been issued by the president yesterday for disposition of the Marcos jewellery collection. The office of the president officially informed PCGG that it interposes no objections to the proposed activities relative to the disposal of the Marcos jewellery collections, subject to compliance with existing laws, rules and regulations,” Medialdea said.

The news appears to lay to rest critics’ earlier concerns that Duterte might abolish the PCGG, given his open support of the Marcos family. In November 2016, he allowed a heroes burial for former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who died in exile in Hawaii in 1989.

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