Chavit Singson asks Sandigan for permission to travel

Former Ilocos Sur Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Former Ilocos Sur governor Luis “Chavit” Singson pleaded for a motion to travel from the Sandiganbayan on Tuesday.

This after the court issued a hold-departure order against Singson while he was being tried for graft. The hold-departure order means Singson cannot leave the country without the court’s permission.

Singson filed the plea before the Third Division for him to travel to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore from May 11 to 18 to attend business meetings.

Singson also said he was willing to post a travel bond.

The former governor was given up to this Wednesday to submit his travel details.

Besides filing his motion, Singson was also conditionally arraigned on Monday as he pleaded not guilty to the graft charges filed against him.

Singson faces three counts of graft filed against him in 2001 at the Office of the Ombudsman, which alleged that he gave P26 million in public funds to a private company.

The Ombudsman alleged that Singson and his successor, Governor Deogracias Victor Savellano, used P26 million of Ilocos Sur’s share of tobacco taxes to aid Multi-Line Food Processing International Inc., a private company run by a tobacco farmers’ cooperative.

Besides Singson, impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona was also barred from leaving the country as he faced perjury charges also before the Ombudsman filed against him after his impeachment in 2012. Corona was impeached for his failure to declare all of his assets in his financial disclosures.

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