Ombudsman bucks plea of Nur Misuari

Office of the Ombudsman prosecutors have objected to the motion of Moro National Liberation Front founding chair Nur Misuari, seeking the dismissal of his graft and malversation through falsification charges.

In an eight-page opposition dated Oct. 1, the prosecution said Misuari raised arguments that would be best threshed out in a full-blown trial.

Misuari is accused of involvement in a P77.26-million “ghost textbook” scam when he was governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

In his Sept. 14 motion to quash, Misuari argued that he was not liable for the fraudulent purchases made in 2000 and 2001 because the payments were released in 2003 and 2004 during the term of his successor, Parouk Hussin.

At the time, Misuari was already detained in Malaysia from 2001 to 2002, and in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, and Quezon City from 2002 to 2008. —Vince F. Nonato