ON ZTE DEAL / MIKE POSTED BAIL
[PHOTO - Unfamiliar ground. Mike
Arroyo, husband of former President Gloria Arroyo, posts bail at the
Sandiganbayan following an order for his arrest on charges that he received
bribes from a Chinese telecommunications company for a contract that was later
found to be overpriced. AP PHOTO]
MANILA,
MARCH 14, 2012 (MALAYA) BY PETER
J. G. TABINGO - ARREST warrants were issued yesterday by the Sandiganbayan
against detained former President Gloria Arroyo, husband Jose Miguel Arroyo,
former Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza, and resigned Commission on
Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. on pending graft charges in connection
with the scrapped $329-million national broadband network project proposed by
Chinese firm ZTE Inc.
The Sandiganbayan set their arraignment on April 11 at 8:30 a.m.
Defense lawyers failed to convince the court to defer issuance of the arrest
orders as the graft court's Fourth Division junked their request for oral
arguments for a chance to challenge the validity of the cases filed by the
Office of the Ombudsman.
Arroyo, now congresswoman of Pampanga, was indicted for two counts of graft
and one for violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public
Officials and Employees on allegations that she used the presidency to move
ZTE's proposal forward with intent for personal gain from the transaction and
despite prior knowledge that the deal was attended by irregularities.
Mr. Arroyo, Mendoza and Abalos were named her co-defendants in the first
graft charge.
In issuing the warrant, the court declared that there was probable cause to
proceed with a full trial.
It likewise held that it was under no obligation to grant the defense prayer
to set a hearing for oral arguments before issuing warrants for their arrest.
Associate Justices Gregory S. Ong, Jose R. Hernandez and Ma. Cristina J.
Cornejo signed the four-page ruling.
Despite the adverse ruling, the Sandiganbayan clarified that a finding of
probable cause "merely implies the probability of guilt" and does not mean
"actual and positive cause" or absolute certainty.
Mr. Arroyo and Mendoza promptly appeared in court later in the afternoon with
their lawyers to post bail of P30,000 each.
Mr. Arroyo expressed confidence that he will be acquitted, saying there are
several Supreme Court rulings supporting his stand that as a private person, he
cannot be indicted for graft and that a criminal case cannot be based on a
contract that has already been rescinded.
For her part, Rep. Arroyo sought bail, asking the Sandiganbayan to send a
court officer to process her posting of bail at the Veterans Memorial Medical
Center where she is under hospital arrest.
Defense lawyers Jose B. Flaminiano and Laurence Hector B. Arroyo said it
would be more convenient if the detained former president is simply processed at
the VMMC.
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
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