Ex-agri secretary Lorenzo wants case dismissed

MANILA, Philippines—Former agriculture secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr. has appealed to the Sandiganbayan to recall the arrest warrant it had issued against him and to immediately dismiss the graft charges that the Office of the Ombudsman had filed against him in the antigraft court.

In a “reply to the plaintiff’s comment and opposition” filed by his counsel before the 1st Division, Lorenzo also sought a judicial determination of probable cause on the graft case, which the Ombudsman has vigorously opposed.—Cynthia D. Balana