MANILA, (Reuters) – The Philippines’ Supreme Court yesterday dismissed a plunder case against influential former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and ordered her immediate release after five years under hospital arrest.
The diminutive Arroyo, 69, was leader of the archipelago nation from 2001 to 2010 but her presidency was plagued by allegations of corruption and vested interests.
Judges voted 11-4 in her favour to throw out the plunder case due to a lack of evidence, court spokes-man Theodore Te told a televised news conference.
She was initially detained for alleged electoral fraud but was later charged with plunder in connection with 366 million pesos ($7.82 million) in state lottery funds, some of which had been allocated for intelligence gathering.
