Lawyer sees no basis for Trillanes arrest as coup charge already dismissed 2011

A lawyer for Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has expressed doubt that the Makati Regional Trial Court would issue a warrant for his arrest because there's already no pending case against him.

Reading from Judge Rita A. Bascos Sarabia's order dated September 21, 2011, Attorney Reynaldo Robles told reporters that Makati court dismissed the coup d'etat raps versus Trillanes, Gary Alejano and James Layug "pursuant to the grant of amnesty ...by President Benigno S. Aquino III."

"So that case has already been dismissed... Paanong may pending case pa?" Robles said.

The Department of Justice earlier Tuesday filed an urgent motion for an alias warrant and hold departure order against Trillanes after President Rodrigo Duterte revoked the amnesty Aquino gave in 2010.

Robles said there was also no basis to reconvene court martial proceedings against Trillanes.

"If you remember, the senator ran for the Senate in 2007. At that time, there was only one case against him," Robles said, referring to the conduct unbecoming an officer charge Trillanes faced because of his role in the Oakwood Mutiny in 2003.

Robles said the punishment for the charge was dismissal from the service.

"When he filed his certificate of candidacy in 2007... he is ipso jure deemed resigned," Robles said.

"Two thousand seven pa lang, dinismiss na ng court martial yung kaso against him kasi moot and academic na," he added.

Robles said he didn't see any scenario that a warrant would be issued against his client.

According to a tweet by Raffy Tima, Makati Regional Trial Court Judge Andres Soriano said he received the urgent ex parte motion filed by Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Richard Fadullon at 3:15 p.m.

"We will have to review the records again because this involves 53 volumes and the case started from another judge," Soriano said.

Asked whether or not a warrant of arrest could be issued within the day, Soriano said, "I'll see what I can do but I really don't know if I can. I'm still trying to retrieve the records."

"There was a previous dismissal, based on the amnesty, by the previous judge," Soriano said on whether there was a standing warrant of arrest against Trillanes. —NB, GMA News