Sajid Islam Ampatuan granted bail

By: 10 years ago

In this Nov. 24, 2009 file photo, police officers carry one of dead bodies they recovered along a hillside in Datu Ampatuan, Maguindanao province, southern Philippines. Five years after gunmen flagged down a convoy of cars and massacred all 58 occupants, including scores of journalists, in a southern Philippine province, the body count continues to rise. AP

MANILA, Philippines—An Ampatuan has just been granted bail.

The petition for bail of Sajid Islam Ampatuan, son of former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr., was granted by Regional Trial Court Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes, a report from ABS-CBN news said Saturday.

The report said in a 12-page omnibus order, the Quezon City judge “set the bail for Sajid Islam at P200,000 per murder count, or a total of P11.6 million for the 58 counts filed before the court.”

Based on Solis-Reyes decision, “the prosecution panel failed to establish strong evidence that would warrant the continued detention of Sajid Islam while the trial is ongoing.”

The report added, “Citing the testimonies of witnesses, the judge noted that the suspect was merely present in the meetings but did not utter any word while the crime was supposedly being discussed.”

As of posting, there was no confirmation if Sajid Islam will pay the P11.6 million.

It can be recalled that in October last year, Solis-Reyes also allowed 16 policemen tagged in the Ampatuan massacre to post bail at P200,000 for each of the 58 counts of murder in what was considered the most gruesome political killing in the country.

No one has posted bail.