Sandiganbayan rules Masbate Gov. be detained in Camp Bagong Diwa

Masbate Gov. Rizalina Seachon-Lanete (Photo: An Probinsya San Masbate Yana Facebook page_

MANILA — The Sandiganbayan Fourth Division on Friday denied the motion of detained Masbate Gov. Rizalina Seachon-Lanete to allow her to be detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame for lack of merit.

Instead, Sandiganbayan Fourth Division Chairman and Associate Justice Jose Hernandez and members Associate Justices Alex Quiroz and Oscar Herrera Jr. decided that Lanete be detained in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig.

The order of the anti-graft court was handed down to the accused and set the arraignment on March 20.

Earlier in the day, Lanete said in her three-page motion that “her life can best be secured at the PNP Custodial Center, which is a well-guarded compound” located within the “safe walls” of the PNP Headquarters in Camp Crame.

She is facing plunder and 11 counts of graft charges in connection with her alleged involvement in the multi-billion peso pork barrel fund scam during his stint as lawmaker of Masbate in the 15th Congress.

In her motion, speaking through her counsel Jose Flaminiano detailed the past attempts against her and her family’s life for the past years.

Lanete said she survived three ambush attempts by political enemies – one was in 2004 while she was campaigning for a congressional seat as Masbate representative. The other was in 2011 while her convoy was passing Pio V. Corpuz town in Masbate.

She argued that the most recent attempt on her life was in January this year while she and her son, Mayor Joshur Judd Lanete, was about to enter the Cebu City Sports Center to attend the 2015 Sinulog grand parade competition.

“There have been previous attempts on the life of accused Lanete and her family,” the motion read, adding that in 2007, Lanete’s brother, Fausto Seachon Jr. was assassinated in 2007 outside his house in Caloocan City.

“To this day, accused Lanete and her family continue to receive death threats,” Lanete argued in her motion.

To prove her allegations, she attached in her motion copies of news articles about the said ambush attempts. Aside from security reasons, Lanete also pointed out that it would be more convenient and practical for the authorities if the court would allow her to be detained at the PNP Custodial Center.