Arroyo to have her say

 

 

Ex-Philippine leader Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will get fair hearing according to current president Benigno Aquino

Former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, under guard in a Manila hospital after being arrested on charges of electoral sabotage, will be given a chance to defend herself in court, Philippine President Benigno Aquino vowed.

Aquino, who swept to power last year on a platform of tackling corruption, including a vow to pursue allegations of fraud against Arroyo, also said those guilty had to be held accountable or it would encourage others to commit crimes.

“She will have a fair chance to defend herself in court. That is the right of every Filipino. It is but fitting that the process for all Filipinos be equal,” he said. Arroyo, president from 2001-2010, has consistently denied the allegations against her.

Arroyo was arrested at a Manila hospital on Friday. She had been there since Tuesday night, when the government stopped her from boarding a flight at the airport. Arroyo says she needs to travel for treatment on a spine condition, but the government believes she wants to evade investigation and possible prosecution by authorities. The former president was wearing a neck brace when police took her mugshot and fingerprints in the hospital on Saturday.

Arroyo’s legal team have said the charges were trumped up and they will question a lower court’s jurisdiction to handle the electoral sabotage charges when they appear before the Pasay City regional trial court. The alleged vote-rigging happened in the restive southern Muslim province of Magu­indanao. The charges carry a life sentence.

Arroyo also faces allegations of fraud over a 2004 presidential election and corruption in her administration, which the government says it is still investigating. Meanwhile, Philippine officials say it’s business as usual in the country and there is no army unrest despite Arroyo’s dramatic arrest.

Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said yesterday that there was no sign of unrest within the 120,000-strong military since Arroyo’s arrest. The ex-president once had strong ties to the army.

Source: wwww.7days.ae