Former Philippine President pleads not guilty to electoral fraud

The president of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010 Gloria Macapagal Arroyo pleaded not guilty to electoral fraud in 2007 senate elections. She was escorted into the courtroom under heavy security.' Arroyo is accused of rigging the elections in favor of her candidates.

Arroyo is being held in a military hospital where she is being treated for a spinal condition. She appeared in court for only about ten minutes to enter her not guilty plea. She was then escorted back to the hospital.

The new president Benigno Aquino III has pledged that he will root out corruption and bring even high officials such as Arroyo to justice. Whether he is successful remains to be seen. Another former president notably ERAP Joseph Estrada has also been convicted of corruption but the tradition continues! Estrada was pardoned by Arroyo!

This electoral charge is just one of several cases against Arroyo. Another involves her support for the Ampatuan family who were in involved in a massacre in Mindanao in November of 2009. See the appended video. For more see this article.