Moro leader’s plea to dismiss graft case junked

MANILA: A special court called the Sandiganbayan threw out for lack of merit the petition of Nur Misuari, the founding chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), to drop the criminal charges of graft of falsiication of public documents iled against him.

In its decision, the Sandiganbayan pointed out that the arguments cited by Misuari in his petition “are evidentiary in nature and best threshed out out in a full-blown trial.”

As such, the court ruled that Misuari should stand trial over the criminal charges arising from his alleged involvement in the anomalouos printing of textbooks and other reading materials worth $2 million when he was the governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The textbooks were to be used in and distributed to the public schools in the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-tawi as well as Marawi City that compose ARMM.

Misuari sought the dismissal of the charges, claiming he was not liable for the procurement becaue it was made during during the administration of his ARMM successor Parouk Hussin in 2003 and 2004.

He also insisted he did not receive any money, adding that the demand for payment was made when he was no longer the ARMM governor as he insisted the signatures on the documents regarding the deal were forged.

However, the court, mandated by law to hear and try graft and similar criminal charges iled against incum- bent and former government oficials, said there was “probable cause” or suficient reason to proceed with the Misuari trial.

The court also dismissed Misuari’s argument that he was deprived of his right to a speedy trial as it stressed: “It was not occasioned by any capricious, vexatious or oppressive delays.”

In addition, the court said Misuari could not claim that his right to a speedy trial was violated since he earlier admitted that he was not aware about the investigation on the alleged while it was ongoing.

This year, Congress passed the historic Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) that resulted from the signing of a peace agreement between the government and the the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country’s biggest Moro rebel group.