Benjamin Abalos Sr. Charged for Electoral Sabotage by COMELEC
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) filed electoral-sabotage charges against its former chairman, Benjamin Abalos Sr., for allegedly participating in the purported rigging of the 2007 polls.
The case was filed before the Pasay City (Metro Manila) Regional Trial court (RTC) on Wednesday afternoon just minutes before the deadline for the filing of cases.
It was raffled to the sala of Judge Jesus Mupas of the Pasay RTC Branch 112, the same court that hears the electoral-sabotage case of former President and now Rep. Gloria Arroyo of Pampanga province.
Also charged were former elections supervisor Yogie Martirizar and Capt. Peter Reyes of the
Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Based on findings of a joint Comelec-Department of Justice panel that investigated the 2007 poll fraud, Abalos allegedly ordered provincial election officers to ensure a 12-0 sweep for Mrs. Arroyo’s Team Unity candidates for senators in North Cotabato and South Cotabato provinces in southern Mindanao.
Abalos resigned from his post at the Comelec when he was accused of receiving kickbacks from a botched multi-million national broadband network deal with Chinese firm ZTE Corp.
He also faces graft charges before the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan.
Before the case was filed, Abalos had trooped to the Pasay City RTC to show that he will not run away from the charges against him.
His lawyers filed also on Wednesday a petition for judicial determination of probable cause.
During an interview aired over radio station dzMM, Abalos said that he will not back down or hide after the Comelec said that it will charge him for allegedly conspiring to rig the 2007 polls.
He added that he will not ask the court that he be placed under hospital or house arrest.
“I am a man of law. The moment I learn that they have filed a case, I will not even wait for them to arrest me. I will surrender,” Abalos said.
Wife Cora and son Mandaluyong City (also in Metro Manila) Mayor Benhur Abalos accompanied Abalos to the Pasay City RTC.
Abalos said that he had been in a state of mental torture after Brillantes announced more than two weeks ago that the Comelec intends to charge him and several others for alleged electoral sabotage.
“This is torture. For more than two weeks, I’ve been wondering, is it time? Even my grandkids think it might be our last time together...The torture is too much. It’s more than physical torture,” he added.
The former Comelec chief said that the charges against him were an injustice and appealed to Sen. Aquilino Pimentel 3rd, who initiated the poll-sabotage case, to have a conscience.
Meanwhile, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said that the mere filing of the case against Abalos is not a guarantee that the government could send the former Comelec chief to prison for good and, unless the case is strong, the accused could challenge it and may even evade jail.
- Source
The case was filed before the Pasay City (Metro Manila) Regional Trial court (RTC) on Wednesday afternoon just minutes before the deadline for the filing of cases.
It was raffled to the sala of Judge Jesus Mupas of the Pasay RTC Branch 112, the same court that hears the electoral-sabotage case of former President and now Rep. Gloria Arroyo of Pampanga province.
Also charged were former elections supervisor Yogie Martirizar and Capt. Peter Reyes of the
Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Based on findings of a joint Comelec-Department of Justice panel that investigated the 2007 poll fraud, Abalos allegedly ordered provincial election officers to ensure a 12-0 sweep for Mrs. Arroyo’s Team Unity candidates for senators in North Cotabato and South Cotabato provinces in southern Mindanao.
Abalos resigned from his post at the Comelec when he was accused of receiving kickbacks from a botched multi-million national broadband network deal with Chinese firm ZTE Corp.
He also faces graft charges before the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan.
Before the case was filed, Abalos had trooped to the Pasay City RTC to show that he will not run away from the charges against him.
His lawyers filed also on Wednesday a petition for judicial determination of probable cause.
During an interview aired over radio station dzMM, Abalos said that he will not back down or hide after the Comelec said that it will charge him for allegedly conspiring to rig the 2007 polls.
He added that he will not ask the court that he be placed under hospital or house arrest.
“I am a man of law. The moment I learn that they have filed a case, I will not even wait for them to arrest me. I will surrender,” Abalos said.
Wife Cora and son Mandaluyong City (also in Metro Manila) Mayor Benhur Abalos accompanied Abalos to the Pasay City RTC.
Abalos said that he had been in a state of mental torture after Brillantes announced more than two weeks ago that the Comelec intends to charge him and several others for alleged electoral sabotage.
“This is torture. For more than two weeks, I’ve been wondering, is it time? Even my grandkids think it might be our last time together...The torture is too much. It’s more than physical torture,” he added.
The former Comelec chief said that the charges against him were an injustice and appealed to Sen. Aquilino Pimentel 3rd, who initiated the poll-sabotage case, to have a conscience.
Meanwhile, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said that the mere filing of the case against Abalos is not a guarantee that the government could send the former Comelec chief to prison for good and, unless the case is strong, the accused could challenge it and may even evade jail.
- Source
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