Former Mindanao governor pleads innocence

By Jing Villamente /Manila

Former governor Zaldy Ampatuan of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), has insisted that there is no evidence that would link him to the Maguindanao massacre.

Through his counsel, lawyer Marcial Ferrer Lopez, the younger Ampatuan filed a 10-page motion which was released to the media, asking Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of Branch 221 of the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City, to allow him to post bail as the basis for his inclusion in the charge sheet has no merit.

Lopez cited an earlier resolution of former Justice Secretary Alberto Agra. Lopez said that it has been established that Ampatuan was not in the Maguindanao province when the incident happened on November 23, 2009.He said that documents showed that the former governor was in Davao from November 20 to 23, contradicting the claim of prosecution witness Kenny Dalandag, who said that Ampatuan was present during the clan meeting held in Shariff Aguak the day before the massacre.

The motion for bail, however, did not address the testimony of former Ampatuan helper Lakmodin Saliao, who testified that the former governor was present in the clan meeting.“The averment of ‘conspiracy’ based on the sole uncorroborated affidavit of prosecution witness Kenny Dalandag was greatly outweighed by (other) documentary evidence. Allegations sans proof deserve ‘no merit,” Lopez said.

In his motion, Lopez also cited various tickets and boarding passes showing Ampatuan’s supposed whereabouts prior to and during the incident.  — Manila Times