The Sandiganbayan Sixth Division has released the copy of the warrant of arrest for Senator JV Ejercito.
Ejercito, who is also facing a graft case, is being arrested for a technical malversation case for his involvement in the alleged questionable purchase of firearms using PHP2.1 million from the city’s calamity funds while he was still the mayor of San Juan City in 2008, according to the Ombudsman.
No calamity hit San Juan at that time, nor were there declarations of San Juan being in a state of calamity.
According to Ejercito, the firearms were bought to address the worsening criminality in their city and the money came from the city’s supplemental fund.
For the same charges, the arrest of incumbent San Juan City Mayor Francisco Zamora and 13 others are also included in the warrant. However, Zamora and two former city councilors Angelino Mendoza and Rolando Bernardo were able to post bail (PHP6,000 each) earlier this morning.
GMA News reports that Ejercito sent a text message to the media and said, “I am very optimistic that I will be acquitted of these charges. I want trial to start right away. We will not cause any delay as I want to clear my name as soon as possible.”
