DoJ ordered to answer Ampatuan’s plea to drop murder charges 07/26/2010

DoJ ordered to answer Ampatuan’s plea to drop murder charges

07/26/2010 The Court of Appeals (CA) has directed the Department of Justice (DoJ) to immediately answer the petition of former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan to nullify a resolution issued by former Justice Secretary Alberto Agra that ordered his indictment in the Maguindanao massacre case. Agra’s May 5 resolution ordered the filing of 57 counts of murder charges against Ampatuan before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court in connection with the massacre that left 57 persons dead, including 30 journalists, on Nov. 23, 2009 in Maguindanao province. The CA Eleventh Division, in the decision penned by Associate Justice Danton Bueser, gave the Justice department 10 days within which to submit its comment on Ampatuan’s petition. In his petition, Ampatuan also asked the CA to reinstate Agra’s April 16 resolution ordering his exclusion and those of former Maguindanao Vice Gov. Datu Akmad Ampatuan Sr. as co-accused in the 57 counts of murder charges due to lack of probable cause to implicate them to the brutal killings. “Without necessarily giving due course to the petition for certiorari, public respondent (Agra) is hereby directed to file his comment within 10 days. Petitioner is hereby given five days from receipt of said comment within which to file reply,” the CA ordered.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100726hed4.html

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