The Winner? Lucio Tan!

Reuters

Philippine airlines and tobacco tycoon Lucio Tan scored a major victory against the government on Friday when the Supreme Court upheld an earlier court decision rejecting the state's attempt to seize some of his companies.

"There can be no question that petitioner's (the government) orders of sequestration are void and have no legal effect," the Supreme Court wrote in its judgement.

The government has been trying for over 20 years to punish Tan, who owns Philippine Airlines, Philippine National Bank and several hotels and property firms, for his alleged lucrative links to late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

The Presidential Commission on Good Government, the state agency in charge of retrieving the ill-gotten wealth of Marcos and his cronies, declined to comment on the ruling. A spokesman said it had not yet seen the court decision.

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