Friday, March 23, 2012

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo out on bail

Detained former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, through her lawyer, posted on Friday a bail bond amounting to P70,000 at the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division.
 
A report on GMA News TV Live said Arroyo's defense lawyer paid the bail bond in cash, in accordance with the anti-graft court’s directive issued late on Thursday.
Aside from the non-bailable election-sabotage raps of which she now under hospital arrest, the former President is also  facing two charges of graft for alleged violation of RA 3019 and another case for her supposed violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (RA 6713).
 
She is accused of using her office to push for the approval of the scrapped $329-million deal with China's ZTE firm for the the national broadband network (NBN) project.
 
The court set her bail bonds at P30,000 for each graft charge and P10,000 for the alleged violation of RA 6713.
 
Co-defendants in the graft case were Arroyo's husband former First Gentleman Jose Miguel, former Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza, and former Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr.
 
In a resolution signed by Associate Justices Jose R. Hernnandez, Ma. Cristina J. Cornejo and division chairman Gregory S. Ong on Thursday, the Sandiganbayan granted Arroyo’s request to accomplish the bail process in her detention room at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC), as there was no objection from prosecutors.

The resolution also noted that Arroyo “was placed under hospital confinement on account of a medical condition” and that “there would be less government expense and less security concern” if the bail process is done at the VMMC rather than requiring her to appear at the Sandiganbayan for that purpose. — LBG, GMA News