MANILA – A Pasay court has cleared House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of electoral sabotage charges in connection with the 2007 senatorial elections, when she was president.
The court handling the case has granted the demurrer to evidence filed by Arroyo, an ordered obtained by ABS-CBN News showed.
The demurrer to evidence, a plea that cites insufficiency of evidence, paves the way for the dismissal of the case.
In its ruling, the Pasay City Regional Trial Court Branch 112 found that the prosecution “has failed to discharge its duty to prove the guilt of accused Arroyo beyond reasonable doubt, even in the absence of controverting evidence on the part of the accused.”
The case against Arroyo alleged that she instructed former Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. to rig the 2007 senatorial elections to ensure a 12-0 win for her administration’s Team Unity ticket.
It was through a similar pleading that Arroyo secured her 2016 acquittal from plunder charges filed against her for the allegedly questionable release of P366 million in Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office intelligence funds in her last two years as President. (ABS-CBN News)
