Ex-Philippine president Arroyo freed on bond

Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo she arrives at her village in suburban Quezon City, north of Manila, Philippines, on July 25, 2012, after leaving a government hospital where she had been detained for nearly eight months on charges of election sabotage.
Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo she arrives at her village in suburban Quezon City, north of Manila, Philippines, on July 25, 2012, after leaving a government hospital where she had been detained for nearly eight months on charges of election sabotage.

— Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo walked Wednesday out of a government hospital, where she had been detained for nearly eight months on election-rigging charges after a court found that evidence against her was weak and granted bail.

Wearing a neck brace, Arroyo smiled and held her grandson’s hand as she left the hospital. She suffers from a neck ailment and has undergone three operations.

Court spokesman Felda Domingo said Arroyo was released after posting $23,250 bond. She said Arroyo, who won a seat in Congress in 2010 after stepping down from the presidency, cannot leave the country and needs court permission to visit her district in the northern province of Pampanga.

Judge Jesus Mupas ruled that the evidence presented by prosecutors was not strong enough to deny bail. Election sabotage is normally a non-bailable offense, but bail can be granted if defendants show that the evidence against them is weak.

Arroyo’s successor, President Benigno Aquino III, has targeted the former president for purported corruption and other wrongdoing during her tumultuous nine years in office.

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