Court orders arrest of politician on bail for Maguindanao massacre

Shariff Aguak’s mayoral candidate Sajid Ampatuan walking escorted by supporters and bodyguards during a campaign rally in Shariff Aguak town, Maguindanao province, in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.
Walking off stage after a rock star-like performance and rapturous crowd reaction, / AFP PHOTO /
Shariff Aguak’s mayoral candidate Sajid Ampatuan walking escorted by supporters and bodyguards during a campaign rally in Shariff Aguak town, Maguindanao province, in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. Walking off stage after a rock star-like performance and rapturous crowd reaction, / AFP PHOTO /

Three months after being released on bail, former Maguindanao governor Sajid Ampatuan, is charged in connection with the 2009 Maguindanao massacre, where 57 people were executed and buried in a mass grave in southern Mindanao.

This time the charges are related to corruption.

According to a report in Rappler, two separate arrest warrants were issued against Ampatuan: One for 145 counts of corruption and another for 16 counts.

His bail is set for PHP4 million (USD 80,000).

His lawyer Gregorio Marquez told reporters that Ampatuan would post bail.

The charges stemmed from approved projects in Maguindanao, where Ombudsman investigators 12 projects amounting to PHP95 million (about USD2 million) turned out to be fake.

Six other provincial officials were also implicated in the scam.

The Ampatuans, a political dynasty, are accused of masterminding the massacre where 32 journalists were killed when they accompanied the convoy of Toto Mangudadatu, who was running against Andal Ampatuan Jr for the post of governor.

To date, none of the 197 accused in the mass murder have been convicted.



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