Ricketts pleads not guilty to plunder charges

MANILA, Philippines - Optical Media Board (OMB) chairman Ronnie Ricketts yesterday pleaded not guilty to graft charges filed against him before the Sandiganbayan by the Office of the Ombudsman last month.

The former action star’s co-accused, enforcement and inspection division (EID) head Manuel Mangubat, investigation agent Joseph Arnaldo and computer operator Glenn Perez, also pleaded not guilty during the arraignment.

Ricketts and his fellow respondents appeared before the anti-graft court’s Fourth Division weeks after posting bail.

The Office of the Ombudsman indicted Ricketts and other OMB officials for releasing 127 boxes and two sacks of seized pirated digital video discs and video compact discs as well as a video recording machine to a private firm following a raid in May 2010.

Such move allegedly caused damage or injury to the government and gave unwarranted benefits to the company to whom illegal merchandise was supposedly returned.

“The unjustified release of the confiscated items compromised the pieces of evidence that could substantiate a case against the violators of Republic Act 9239,” the ombudsman said.