Maguindanao massacre carnage site in Barangay Salman, Ampatuan town in Maguindanao. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – The Court of Appeals denied the bid of another Ampatuan to be excluded in the Maguindanao massacre case.
In a three-page resolution made public Monday, the appeals court, in a ruling written by Associate Justice Rodil Zalameda, denied the motion for reconsideration filed by Sajid Islam Ampatuan.
Ampatuan, son of clan patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr., urged the appeals court to reverse its Sept. 10, 2013 ruling denying his petition seeking the reversal of the Department of Justice’s order of filing 58 counts of murder against him.
The appeals court said Sajid Ampatuan failed to present new arguments to warrant a reversal of its 2013 ruling.
“A thorough evaluation of the petitioner’s motion reveals no necessity for us to modify or reverse our decision. Petitioner’s arguments in support of his motion are mere rehash of the allegations in his petition which have already been extensively deliberated and passed upon by this Court,” the appeals court said in its ruling.
In its September 2013 ruling, the appeals court said Justice Secretary Leila De Lima did not abuse her discretion in approving the filing of cases against him.
The appellate court dismissed Sajid’s alibi that that he was at the Commission on Elections office in Shariff Saydona Mustafa together with his wife when the massacre took place.
It added that while he claims he was in Sariff Saydona Mustafa, he failed to prove that it was impossible for him to be in Barangay (village) Matagabon where the convoy was allegedly flagged down.
The massacre of 58 people including 32 journalists occurred on Nov. 23, 2009.
Concurring with the ruling were Associate Justices Francisco Acosta and Pedro Corales.
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