DOJ asked to present Abalos co-accused in poll fraud

MANILA, Philippines - A Pasay City court has ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to present on Monday an election official who is a co-accused in the electoral sabotage case against retired polls chief Benjamin Abalos but is under the government’s witness protection program.

Regional Trial Court branch 117 presiding Judge Eugenio de la Cruz directed the DOJ to present Lilian Suan Radam for her arraignment on Monday for 11 counts of electoral sabotage, clerk of court Luithe Cabangunay told The STAR.

Radam surfaced late last year after months in hiding and implicated Abalos in systematic cheating in the May 2007 midterm elections.

The original electoral sabotage case against Radam was filed in February last year before the sala of Judge Edwin Ramizo of branch 114. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) later withdrew the case and re-filed it with Abalos as one of the accused. The case landed in the sala of De la Cruz.

Brigido Dulay, legal counsel of Abalos, said he welcomed the court order and vowed to dispute all the allegations of Radam against the former Comelec chairman.

In a motion to quash the electoral sabotage case against Abalos, Dulay said it is the Sandiganbayan which has jurisdiction over the case since the former election official committed the alleged offense “in relation to his office.”

Abalos is currently detained at the Southern Police District for two other counts of election sabotage case before Judge Jesus Mupas of Pasay RTC branch 112.