Gov’t bucks Mike Arroyo bid to travel abroad

Former first Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The prosecution on Tuesday asked the Sandiganbayan to reject former first gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo’s request to travel to Japan and Hong Kong on Feb. 3-10, saying he was a flight risk.

State Assistant Special Prosecutor Lynette Jandoc-Ludan, in a four-page opposition, urged the antigraft court’s Second Division to deny Arroyo’s petition for authority to travel to the two places.

Ludan said Arroyo was a flight risk because he also stands accused in another graft case in another Sandiganbayan division.

“Thus, evading his indictment is not far-fetched in view of the large amount of money involved in the cases filed against him,” said Ludan.

Arroyo stands accused of graft in the Second Division in connection with his alleged involvement in the P105-million overpriced helicopter deal with the Philippine National Police.

In the Fourth Division, he is facing trial for his alleged role in the botched multimillion-dollar NBN-ZTE broadband deal with China which his wife, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, canceled after allegations of bribery involving himself and some government officials surfaced.

The prosecution pointed out Arroyo had not been arraigned by the Sandiganbayan Second Division due to a pending motion for reconsideration he filed in the Office of the Ombudsman.  Cynthia D. Balana