Sandiganbayan allows Abalos Taiwan trip

MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan has granted a motion of former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos asking permission to travel to Taiwan from Jan. 29 to 31.

The two Pasay City regional trial courts hearing the electoral sabotage charges against Abalos have yet to decide on a similar motion, filed last year.

In a Jan. 8 notice of resolution, the Anti-Graft Court’s Fourth Division told Abalos to pay P90,000 as travel bond and to personally present himself and photocopies of his passport to the division clerk of court upon his return.

Abalos is being tried before the Sandiganbayan for the government’s botched $329-million National Broadband Network deal with a Chinese telecommunications firm.

The former Comelec chairman, however, expressed concern that he may not be able to get his travel documents from the Department of Foreign Affairs in time for his trip. He said the DFA will not process the documents unless the two Pasay courts allow him to go on the trip.

Judges Jesus Mupas and Eugenio dela Cruz and the Sandiganbayan had earlier permitted Abalos to leave for Taiwan on Nov. 27, 2012, but he failed to leave because of an invalidated passport.