Ombudsman wants to arrest Gloria Arroyo again for PCSO pluder case

Ron Gagalac of ABS-CBNNews.com reports: "The Office of the Ombudsman has asked the Sandiganbayan to immediately issue a warrant of arrest against former president and current Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the plunder case on the alleged illegal transfer of funds at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO)."

The report noted that in the Thursday, July 26, hearing at the Sandiganbayan First Division, "the prosecutors from the Ombudsman filed a motion asking the court to issue a warrant of arrest against the former president despite the hold departure order issued against her."

The report quoted prosecutor Diosdado Calonge, who said, "Even if there is a hold departure order, they can still ask the court to allow them to travel abroad." Meanwhile, according to the report, Arroyo’s lawyer, Atty. Christian Diaz, countered, "(Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) is not a flight risk." Diaz pointed out that the hold departure order issued by the Sandiganbayan was detterrent enough.

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