The Sandiganbayan, following the order of the Supreme Court (SC) has suspended all hearings on the plunder case filed against former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. However, Arroyo’s camp wanted the court to proceed on hearing the motion for house arrest and exempt the said motion from the status quo ante order that Arroyo asked from the SC, Lawrence Arroyo, the former president’s counsel said in a report by the Manila Bulletin.
Arroyo, who has been under hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center for four years now is inflicted with a serious spine ailment. The Supreme Court ordered her arrest in October 2012 for plunder charges after the high court have found probable cause on the allegations of misusing Philippine Charity Sweepstake Office fund amounting to P366 million.
Rep. Silvestre Bello III of 1BAP party-list has asked the Sandiganbayan to grant Arroyo’s motion for house arrest for humanitarian reason.
The United Nations Technical Working Group of Arbitrary Detention also sided with Arroyo when they recommended that the former president be allowed to apply for bail “in accordance with the relevant international human rights standards.”