Arroyo thanks Duterte, Supreme Court for dismissal of plunder case
Former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Mcapagal-Arroyo thanked President Rodrigo Duterte and the Supreme Court (SC) following the dismissal of the plunder case against her in connection to the alleged misuse of funds from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
Voting 11 to 4, the High Court ruled Tuesday afternoon that the plunder case against Arroyo needs to be junked because of insufficiency of evidence. It also ordered her immediate release from detention.
“First and foremost, to God Almighty be all the glory and praise. Through His kindness and mercy, justice and righteousness have once again prevailed over injustice and wrongdoing,” Arroyo said in a statement released to the press.
https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines/status/755285649112993792
The former President then thanked Supreme Court magistrates “for finally stopping the persecution” she says she has unjustly gone through the last five years. Arroyo has been detained almost continuously at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center since December 2011.
“My profound appreciation to His Excellency (President) Rodrigo Duterte for allowing due process to take its course,” she added. Duterte offered to pardon Arroyo shortly after he won the presidency but the former chief executive declined it, saying that she prefers to be acquitted from the case.
“It is my fervent hope that nobody else will suffer the persecution that had been levied on me through self-serving interpretation and implementation of the law,” she added, referring to the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III.
She expressed hope that with the high tribunal rendering a final decision on her case, all concerned would respect and recognize “the truth that has been established.”
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