Imelda Marcos returned to Manila in 1991 after her husband died in Honolulu and fought off several corruption cases, including one that could have seen her jailed for up to 50 years. Previous governments have pledged to sell off the jewellery but Marcos has been persistent, taking the case to the supreme court in 2014. The Marcos family remains powerful in the Philippines. Imelda, now 87, is serving her third term in the house of representatives and her son, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, narrowly lost the vice-presidential election last year. The family has found an ally in the country’s current president, Rodrigo Duterte, a strongman nicknamed “the Punisher”, who took power last year and has overseen a war on drugs that has killed thousands of people.
