Ampatuan brods plead not guilty in graft case

MANILA, Philippines - Former Maguindanao governor Sajid Islam Ampatuan and his older brother Andal Ampatuan Jr. pleaded not guilty to charges of graft and falsification of public documents before the Sandiganbayan yesterday.

Also arraigned were some of their co-accused in the cases stemming from their alleged involvement in the questionable award of supply contracts worth P22.367 million to the Petron station in Shariff Aguak owned by Andal Jr. in 2009.

During yesterday’s arraignment, the Ampatuans’ lawyers tried to have the proceedings postponed but the Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division rejected the motion and proceeded as scheduled.

Ombudsman investigators said the supply contract was awarded to the gasoline station without the required public bidding.

The contracts were for the supply of fuel and lubricants for the supposed implementation of various infrastructure projects, which the anti-graft agency later found to be “fictitious and never implemented.”

Sajid and Andal Jr., together with their late father Andal Ampatuan Sr., are the primary accused in the November 2009 Maguindanao massacre, wherein 58 people – including 32 journalists – were killed.