Arraignment of Arroyo, others in PCSO plunder case set

Former President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo. AP FILE PHOTO

The Sandiganbayan on Monday set for Oct. 15 the arraignment of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Chairman Sergio Valencia and PCSO Assistant Manager for Finance Benigno Aguas for plunder in connection with their alleged misuse of the agency’s P366-million intelligence and confidential fund.

The three were among the former officials of the PCSO and the Commission on Audit (COA) who the Office of the Ombudsman found probable cause to indict.

The other coaccused are former PCSO General Manager Rosario Uriarte; PCSO Directors Manuel Morato, Raymundo Roquero, Jose Taruc V and Ma. Fatima Valdes; former COA Chairman Reynaldo Villar and COA Region V head Nilda Paras.

A resolution signed by all three justices of the Sandiganbayan’s First Division said there was no sufficient basis to reverse the Ombudsman’s findings that the 10 had conspired to embezzle the P366-million confidential intelligence fund (CIF) of the PCSO.

Last week, the antigraft court issued an arrest order for Arroyo and nine others for alleged embezzlement of the PCSO funds.

The antigraft court earlier denied for lack of merit the motion for reconsideration filed by Arroyo’s lawyers seeking to quash the warrant of arrest issued by the court against her and her coaccused.

All the accused had challenged the allegations in the plunder information, saying these were insufficient to support the findings of probable cause to indict them.

Lawyer Anacleto Diaz, lead counsel for Arroyo, said his client was considering filing a petition for bail in the Sandiganbayan despite the fact that plunder is a nonbailable offense.

He also indicated that Arroyo may elevate the issue to the Supreme Court.

“Even in nonbailable offenses, the accused is given an option to file a petition for bail if she believes the evidence is not strong,”  Diaz said.

Arroyo is currently under hospital arrest for extreme dehydration at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center where she was served the arrest warrant.

Valencia and Aguas turned themselves in to the police accompanied by their lawyers on Thursday shortly after learning of the warrants against them.

The Bureau of Immigration said that of the accused, only Taruc was able to leave the country on July 19, or a day before a hold-departure order was issued by the Sandiganbayan.