Prosecutors ask Sandiganbayan to postpone arraignment of Abalos

MANILA, Philippines - Prosecutors asked the Sandiganbayan yesterday to move the arraignment of former elections chairman Benjamin Abalos for graft in the $329-million NBN-ZTE deal from July 30 to a later date.

In a motion Tuesday, Prosecution Bureau IV director Rabendranath Uy told the anti-graft court prosecutors need time to amend the information against Abalos.

“It is for this reason that the prosecution begs the indulgence of the Honorable Court to defer the arraignment of the accused,” read the motion.

Social Security System president Romulo Neri, who is also facing graft charges in the same case, is scheduled to be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow.

The charges against Abalos and Neri were filed on May 31 after a two-year probe conducted by a special panel of investigators headed by Deputy Ombudsman for the military Emilio Gonzalez III.

The complaint filed against him is defective, according to Abalos.