The co-accused in the plunder and electoral sabotage cases against former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should be held under the watchlist of the Bureau of Immigration during the pendency of their cases.
According to Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, those accused together with the former President are flight risks and might leave the country before they could face trial.
He said there is a need for government prosecutors to move fast in ensuring that officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and the Commission on Audit (CoA) named co-defendants of Arroyo in a plunder are here for the trial.
"She (Arroyo) cannot flee because of the hold departure order (HDO) against her in the electoral sabotage case. The other accused, however, can leave. But government (prosecutors) must secure (former PCSO General Manager Rosario) Uriarte because she is an important cog in the case," said Colmenares, who earlier noted the former PCSO general manager may qualify as a state witness against the former president.
Also named respondents with Arroyo in the plunder case were former PCSO Board of Directors Chairman Sergio Velancia; Uriarte; PCSO Directors Manuel Morato, Jose Taruc V, Raymundo Roquero and Ma. Fatima Valdes; PCSO budget officer Benigno Aguas; former Commission on Audit chairman Reynaldo Villar and former CoA-Intelligence Fund Unit head Nilda Plaras.
Colmenares acknowledged that due process necessarily takes some time which allows defendants an opportunity to put their assets beyond reach of forfeiture.
"There are processes in law that need to be followed about freezing a person's assets. The best solution is simply to step up the filing of appropriate proceedings to secure a free order (as soon as possible)," he explained.
They were accused of conspiracy in defrauding the government of P366 million through unlawful transfer of confidential/intelligence funds of PCSO from January 2008 to June 2010.
Last Friday, the plunder case against the accused was raffled off to Sandiganbayan First Division headed by Associate Justice Efren de la Cruz where he declared that the case will be treated like any other ordinary case.
Arroyo has filed a motion to stop court proceedings on the plunder case, including her possible arrest.
Arroyo's lawyers said they would exhaust all remedies, especially the filing of a motion for reconsideration before the Office of the Ombudsman.