NAY PYI TAW, Myanmar – President Benigno S. Aquino III expresses his views during the Coffee Meeting with the Philippine Media at the sidelines of the 24th ASEAN Summit at the State Meeting Room 1 of the Horizon Lake View Hotel on Sunday night (May 11, 2014). In photo are House Speaker Sonny Belmonte and Presidential Communication Oprerations Office Secretary Sonny Coloma (PLDT powered by SMART) (MNS photo)
NAY PYI TAW, Myanmar, May 12 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno S. Aquino III said he is confident that former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will be brought to justice despite the Ombudsman’s dismissal of a graft case filed against her in connection with a P728-million fertilizer fund scam.
In an interview with the media here following his attendance of the 24th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit on Sunday, President Aquino said the case filed against the Pampanga representative that was dismissed by the Ombudsman due to lack of evidence, was not filed by his administration.
“We discussed it in passing the other day. First question I asked was: ‘Did we file this?’ And the answer was: ‘We didn’t file it,’” President Aquino said during his interview held at the Horizon Lake View Resort.
The President said if the government gets the necessary evidence to make a stronger case, then the graft case can be filed again.
President Aquino stressed that his government has always believed in building strong cases that would lead to conviction.
“My promise to the Filipino people has always been: We will go where the evidence points us to. We will not file a frivolous case just to harass anybody,” he said.
“If you file a frivolous case, knowing that it’s frivolous, hindi ba parang you are guaranteeing that the person gets off scot-free because double jeopardy comes in. So my instruction has always been: Do not file until you are sure that the evidence is strong,” he added.
President Aquino cited three cases filed by the Aquino administration against Mrs. Arroyo: a plunder case in connection with the alleged misuse of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office funds, which is pending before the Sandiganbayan; another plunder case for Arroyo’s alleged involvement in the Malampaya fund scam, which is being reviewed by the Office of the Ombudsman; and the electoral sabotage case, which is pending before a Regional Trial Court in Pasay filed by the Commission on Elections law department. (MNS)