GMA arraignment in ZTE case set

MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan set the arraignment of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on April 11 on the graft charges filed against her by the Office of the Ombudsman for her role in the botched $329-million national broadband network (NBN) deal anomaly in 2007.

Representatives of the anti-graft court’s Fourth Division will visit Arroyo at her detention room at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City at 2 p.m. today to take her fingerprint samples as part of proceedings to post bail in connection with the NBN case.

Arroyo is detained at the hospital for a separate electoral sabotage case now pending at the Pasay City Regional Trial Court (RTC). She is also expected to submit her photographs and sign documents to complete the bail proceedings.

Her lawyer Laurence Arroyo went to the Sandiganbayan on Friday to pay his client’s bail – P30,000 each for two graft cases and an additional P10,000 for alleged violation of Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

Fourth Division clerk of court Jeoffre Zapata said he has been ordered to proceed to the VMMC to process Arroyo’s bail requirements.

“Arraignment is on April 11,” he told The STAR, referring to the same date that her co-accused in the case, former first gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and former transportation secretary Leandro Mendoza, are set to be arraigned.

Zapata said two other court personnel would assist him.

The Sandiganbayan last week granted Arroyo’s request to be allowed to undergo bail proceedings at the VMMC to avoid a huge security problem if the former president is brought out of the hospital and brought to the anti-graft court to post bail.

Ombudsman prosecutors posed no objection to the motion since requiring the former president to personally appear before the anti-graft court just to post bail would be impractical.