Electoral sabotage case vs ex-poll chief Abalos

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday afternoon filed an electoral sabotage case against its former chairman Benjamin Abalos in connection with the alleged irregularities in the 2007 midterm elections.

The case was filed before the Pasay City Regional Trial Court, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez told GMA News Online in a phone interview. The court did not issue an arrest warrant against the former Comelec chairman and his two co-accused.

Aside from Abalos, also charged were former North Cotabato provincial supervisor Yogie Martirizar, and Capt. Peter Reyes of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP).

Abalos, together with his family, went to the Pasay RTC before the case was filed to show that he will not run away from the charges against him.

Man of law

“I am a man of law. Hindi na ako kailangan hanapin pa,” he said in an interview on GMA News TV’s “Balitanghali” on Wednesday afternoon.

Abalos was accompanied by his wife, Cora and his son, Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur Abalos.

Before proceeding to the Pasay RTC, Abalos, himself a former mayor of Mandaluyong, met with 200 residents of the city. He maintained that he had nothing to do with the alleged rigging of the 2007 polls.

“What am I being accused of? Pandaraya noong 2007? Sino bang nanalo noong 2007? It was a sweep for opposition candidates. Ibig sabihin ba nandaya ako para sa oposisyon?” he said in the same TV interview.

DOJ-Comelec findings

The case against Abalos was based on the findings of a joint Comelec-Department of Justice (DOJ) panel that investigated the alleged rigging of election results in 2007 to favor senatorial candidates allied with then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Arroyo, now a congresswoman representing Pampanga's second district, was slapped with a similar case last Nov. 18. She is currently under hospital arrest at St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig City and is expected to be transferred to the state-run Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City within the week.

Jimenez said Abalos' case was raffled off to Judge Jesus Mupas, who is also hearing the electoral sabotage case against Arroyo.

Abalos was appointed Comelec chairman in 2002 by Arroyo. He resigned in October 2007 after he was linked to a multimillion dollar corruption issue involving a national broadband project by the government with a Chinese firm. — with Andreo C. Calonzo/LBG/KBK, GMA News

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