The graft cases against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the botched $329-million national broadband network (NBN) deal with the Chinese firm ZTE Corp. have been raffled off to the Sandiganbayan’s 4th Division.
A GMA News Report quoted the anti-graft court’s spokesperson, Renato Bocar, as saying that the cases against former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, former Transportation chief Leandro Mendoza, and former poll chief Benjamin Abalos were also assigned to the same division.
Associate Justices Gregory Ong, Jose Hernandez and Maria Cristina Cornejo comprise the Sandiganbayan 4th division.
Last week, the Office of the Ombudsman filed two graft cases against Mrs. Arroyo for the NBN-ZTE deal, saying the former President was “fully aware” of the irregularities in the contract but allowed it to be signed during her term. Mrs. Arroyo cancelled the deal a few months after it was signed.
The same report added that the anti-graft court may come up with an arrest warrant against Mrs. Arroyo and other officials within 10 days if it finds probable cause to try the accused of the cases.
Mrs. Arroyo is currently under hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City. She was arrested at the St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig, where was confined for a bone problem, on November 18, the same day the Commission on Elections filed an electoral sabotage case against her for alleged rigging of the 2007 polls.
The Arroyo camp has repeatedly denied the charges against her and her husband.
National broadband controversy
The Philippine National Broadband Network controversy (also known as the NBN/ZTE deal) involved allegations of corruption in the awarding of a construction contract to the Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE for the proposed government-managed National Broadband Network (NBN).
See: ZTE controversy timeline
The contract with ZTE was signed on April 20, 2007 in Hainan, China. After accusations of irregularities surfaced, Mrs. Arroyo cancelled the National Broadband Network (NBN) project in October 2007. - VVP/YA, GMA News