All clear as another Sandigan division allows Mike Arroyo to travel abroad

Former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan just removed the final obstacle to former First Gentleman Juan Miguel “Mike” Arroyo’s trip abroad when its second division granted his petition to travel to Japan and Hong Kong from February 3 to 10.

The Office of the Ombudsman filed a graft charge against Arroyo, accusing him of selling two secondhand Raven I helicopters, but that were passed off as brand-new.

The court’s fourth division, where Arroyo faces a graft case on the botched telecommunications project known as the NBN-ZTE deal with China, has allowed his request to travel with conditions that he could only leave on the schedule of his travel and that he present his passport as proof.

The former first gentleman is set to meet with the Association of Overseas Filipino Communities in Edogawa-Ku in Japan before proceeding to Hong Kong.