By Reinir Padua (The Philippine Star) Updated December 17, 2010
MANILA, Philippines – The lawyer of former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) governor Zaldy Ampatuan yesterday denied allegations made by Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu of a bribe attempt to drop the charges against his client in connection with the Maguindanao massacre.
Lawyer Howard Calleja described the allegations made by Mangudadatu as “baseless, self-serving and unnecessary.”
Calleja said Ampatuan had neither motive nor necessity to offer the supposed bribe to Mangudadatu with an amount ranging from P150 million to P300 million.
“When we heard that, we were surprised with the allegation. Governor Zaldy is innocent. This is so unnecessary. It (any possibility of offering bribe) wasn’t even talked about. We never thought about it,” Calleja told reporters on the sidelines of the trial on the Maguindanao massacre at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.
Mangudadatu on Wednesday claimed an emissary from the Ampatuans had called him up several times since November offering the amount in exchange for withdrawing the complaint against the former ARMM governor.
According to Mangudadatu, he had recordings of the conversations on his cellular phone that he allowed several journalists to hear.
The former ARMM governor has been included as principal accused in the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao on Nov. 23 last year.
Zaldy was accused of co-planning the massacre during a family gathering.
Other members of the Ampatuan clan, including Zaldy’s father Andal Sr. and brother Andal Jr. were accused in the carnage.
Calleja said his client did not have to offer any bribe, maintaining that Zaldy was in Davao when the Ampatuan family members supposedly gathered to plan the killings.
He said Zaldy was in Malacañang when the massacre occurred.
Calleja said Zaldy was implicated “not because of any act but because of relation (to the other accused).”
“He was not present during the alleged meeting and on the incident itself,” he said.
Calleja also argued Zaldy could not be considered an accused in the case, citing an appeal pending before the Court of Appeals to overturn the reversal made by former justice secretary Alberto Agra of his own resolution that earlier removed the former ARMM governor from the charge sheet.
Calleja also shot down insinuations that Zaldy could turn state witness and implicate family members on the carnage in exchange for a lighter penalty.
Calleja maintained the former ARMM governor cannot be made state witness since he is innocent of the charges. “So how can he be made state witness?” he asked.
On the other hand, trial judge Jocelyn Solis Reyes has agreed to conduct hearings on the case twice a week even after this year.
“We will try to maintain this (schedule) even next year,” she said, in the apparent move to expedite the resolution of the multiple murder case.
The hearings before were held only once a week, on Wednesdays.
When pressed whether she was willing to hold the hearings more frequently, Reyes said it would depend on whether the trial court would be given additional stenographers.
She said that at present, the court has four stenographers to handle the stenographic notes during the hearings.
As regards the call from Malacañang to allow live media coverage of the hearings, Reyes said it would be totally up to the Supreme Court to decide on the matter.
Reyes had set the arraignment of seven more accused in the case on Jan. 20.
The seven accused are Manny Ampatuan, Samsudin Daud, Misuari Sinsuat Ampatuan, Taya Bangkulat, Nasser Malaguia, and Salipada Tampogao.
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