Former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband Jose Miguel Arroyo might spend Christmas in jail should the justice department find probable cause for the filing of election sabotage charges against them relating to alleged massive cheating during the 2007 elections.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes said he and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima have agreed that the charges would be filed before Christmas.
“We’re only determining probable cause, we are not looking for the guilty verdict. We just want to establish probable cause, substantial evidence to initiate the filing, bolster the filing of electoral sabotage, which is a non-bailable offense,” Brillantes said.
“Since it is a non-bailable offense, then it means (the respondents) will be jailed at once,” Brillantes added.
Asked if the Arroyos might end up in jail by Christmas, Brillantes said it depends since the couple might ask for some leeway.
Brillantes was interviewed after the Commission on Appointments (CA) confirmed his nomination as Comelec chairman.
Under the law, it is considered electoral sabotage “when the tampering, increase and/or decrease of votes perpetrated or the refusal to credit the correct votes or to deduct tampered votes, is/are committed in the election of a national elective office.”
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