Arroyo pleads not guilty to plunder

Former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is accompanied by husband Atty. Mike Arroyo when she arrives Monday at the Sandiganbayan for her plunder case. TETCH TORRES/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—The Sandiganbayan’s First Division entered a not-guilty plea Monday for former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on charges she misused P366 million in state lottery funds in the third corruption case against her.

Sixty-five-year-old Arroyo, now a Pampanga Representative, is under hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) after the anti-graft court ordered her arrest. Suffering from a neck ailment, she appeared in a wheelchair and wore a neck brace with a pink scarf. Nine other people, mostly former officials of the state lottery agency, also are charged in the case. They allegedly conspired with Arroyo for over three years in office to divert funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes for her personal gain.

If found guilty, they could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
On October 24, Arroyo sought a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court to stop the Sandiganbayan from hearing the case.

She also asked the anti-graft court to dismiss the resolution of the Office of the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan dated Oct. 3, 2012, which was the basis for the issuance of the arrest warrant against her.

Arroyo’s lawyers say the witnesses against her had no personal knowledge of the transactions of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

Arroyo finished her tumultuous nine-year term in 2010. Since then, she has been separately charged with vote fraud and in another corruption case but posted bail. She had already spent eight months under hospital arrest before she was discharged in June.

Arroyo has accused her successor, Benigno Aquino III, of pursuing a political vendetta. Aquino was overwhelmingly elected on a promise to rid the Philippines of corruption and has vowed to prosecute Arroyo and her inner circle, blaming them for stealing money for personal gain and for a culture of impunity in which corrupt practices flourished.

The government has already denied Arroyo’s request to seek medical treatment abroad, saying she may not return to face the charges.

Originally posted at  08:46 am | Monday, October 29, 2012