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MANILA – (UPDATE) A Pasay court cleared House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of any charges of electoral sabotage related to the 2007 senatorial elections, while she was president.
The court in charge of the case granted the crew evidence filed by Arroyo, revealed an order obtained from ABS-CBN News.
The witness's evidence, a plea that cites the insufficiency of evidence, paves the way for rejection of the case.
READ: Excerpts from the order of Pasay RTC Br 112 acquitting Arroyo of electoral sabotage. Judge Jesus Mupas said that the prosecution had not proved that Arroyo had conspired to commit an electoral sabotage in order to organize the 2007 elections in Maguindanao and ensure victory 12 -0 to the slate of senators. pic.twitter.com/A7KUzNF45i
– Mike Navallo (@mikenavallo) December 28, 2018
In its decision, Division 112 of the Pasay City Regional Court of First Instance found that the prosecution "had not fulfilled its obligation to prove the guilt of the accused Arroyo beyond all reasonable doubt, even in the absence of contradictory evidence from the accused ".
The court noted that only the administrator of Maguindanao province, Norie Unas, had mentioned the name of Arroyo and that the other 12 prosecution witnesses were able to establish any element of conspiracy, nor even the existence of the former president nor any document linking him directly or indirectly to the crime.
The case against Arroyo alleged that she had ordered former Maguindanao governor, Andal Ampatuan Sr. to rig the 2007 senatorial elections in order to secure a 12-0 victory for the Team Unity ticket from his administration.
Arroyo's lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, described the decision as "great justification" for the former president, who had been charged in 2011, under the administration of his successor, Benigno Aquino. III.
"With the acquittal of President Arroyo, it can now be argued that no case brought against her by the Aquino administration has yet survived the judicial review." She no longer has any legal case against her. Really, the wheels of justice are moving slowly, but they are extremely fine, "he said in a statement.
It is through a similar argument that Arroyo obtained her acquittal in 2016 of charges of looting against her for the allegedly dubious release of 366 million Argentine pesos from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office's intelligence services during her last two years in the presidency.
– with reports from Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News
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