Interpreter issue stalls Ampatuan trial
A week after the court interpreter resigned claiming to have been threatened by defendant Andal Ampatuan Sr., prosecutors and defense lawyers were on Wednesday again arguing over the replacement interpreter in the Maguindanao massacre trial.
Defense counsels Sigfrid Fortun and Andres Manuel objected to the choice of Sukarno Amad, a shariah court interpreter, by Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes.
The main objection was that Amad was stationed in Buluan, Maguindanao, where complainant and Gov. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu also holds office.
To avoid any further delays in the trial and dispel any doubts about the court’s impartiality, Reyes named Ferdhaussee Ali of the Philippine Ports Authority as the interpreter at Wednesday’s hearing.
The defense lawyers said they were not actually accusing Amad of being biased for the Mangudadatus but that they only wanted to avoid any impression of partiality.
‘Bad precedent’
The prosecutors countered that dismissing Amad on the ground that he might appear partial to the complainants was a bad precedent.
“If we allow this, there will be no end to those objections,” said private prosecutor Harry Roque, noting that the defense could then post objections in the future just on the basis of where the interpreter came from.
Private prosecutor Nena Santos said Amad may have been stationed in Buluan but the shariah court he was assigned to have jurisdiction over five other towns.
The heated exchange did not end with Ali’s appointment, especially after witness Esmael Enog Amil admitted that Rolando Abu, the interpreter who resigned last week, had made a mistake in his interpretation during a previous hearing.
When Manuel asked Amil to cite other instances where Abu supposedly erred in his translation, the prosecution objected and Reyes upheld the objection because the defense counsel’s question was vague and too general.
However, Manuel insisted that Amil answer his query.
The judge, her voice rising, said she had already made a ruling and would not allow the question.
Manuel answered: “I cannot follow that, Your Honor…Your Honor, why are you shouting at me? I’m not shouting at you.”
Reyes then calmly explained her ruling and ordered Manuel to go to another point.
The court has acquired four new Maguindanao interpreters after Abu resigned last week, citing health reasons. Abu’s absence led to the cancellation of two hearings scheduled last week.
A source from the prosecution camp said Abu was reluctant to return because Ampatuan Sr. had threatened him, a charge that Ampatuan Sr.’s lawyers have denied.
