SC orders SolGen, Sandigan: Comment on Arroyo’s furlough plea

Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Supreme Court did not act again on the petition filed by former president and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to stop the Sandiganbayan from proceeding with the P366 million plunder case filed against her.

During Tuesday’s deliberation, the high court, instead ordered the Office of the Solicitor-General and the Office of the Ombudsman to comment on a motion for leave to file intervention filed by her constituents from Guagua, Pampanga.

“The court requires the OSG and the Ombudsman to comment on the motion for leave to file intervention by constituents from Guagua of the former President,” high court’s acting spokesperson Gleo Guerra said.

The high court has yet to order the government lawyers to comment on the petition filed by Arroyo.

The petition was filed on October last year but was rescheduled several times after two justices inhibited from handling the Arroyo petition.

Arroyo, in her 81 page petition is asking the high court to reverse the findings of probable cause by the Ombudsman and order the dismissal of the plunder case.

Arroyo is facing a plunder case in connection with the alleged misuse of P366 million Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) confidential fund.

Her co-accused Commission on Audit (CoA) Region V head Nilda Plaras already received a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court. The high court granted her petition and stopped the Sandiganbayan from implementing the arrest warrant issued against her.