Supreme Court Removes Block on Judgment Involving Late Filipino Leader’s $40 Million

Alleged victims of abuse want control over $40 million in funds held in the United States by the late Filipino strongman, Ferdinand Marcos.

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor speaks in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court in Washington on Dec. 18, 2023. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/Getty Images

The U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 14 allowed a judgment to take effect that gives the Republic of the Philippines control over $40 million that the late Filipino leader Ferdinand Marcos held in the United States.

Marcos, who was president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, was described in court papers as “a dictator and kleptocrat” who “stole billions of dollars from the country and its people and “used networks of foreign financial accounts and shell corporations to hide stolen funds.”