CA to DOJ: Answer Zaldy Ampatuan's plea to junk murder raps

The Court of Appeals has directed Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to answer the petition of Zaldy Ampatuan – scion to the Ampatuan clan – who was charged with multiple murder for his alleged involvement in the Nov. 23 Maguindanao massacre. The appellate court's Eleventh Division ordered De Lima to file the department's comment within 10 days after receiving the court's notice. On May 5, De Lima's predecessor, Alberto Agra, sustained the filing of charges against former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan and Mamasapano, Maguindanao former Mayor Akmad "Tato" Ampatuan, Zaldy's cousin. Zaldy and Akmad had separately asked the CA to nullify Agra's resolution. In a two-page resolution, the court's Eleventh Division ruled that "action on the injunctive relief prayed for [by Zaldy] is held in abeyance pending receipt of the pleadings ordered by the court." Associate Justice Danton Buesser penned the resolution, with which Associate Justices Noel Tijam and Marlene Gonzales-Sison concurred. May 5 resolution In the May 5 resolution, Agra reversed his own April 16 ruling and cleared the two Ampatuans of involvement in the carnage that killed 57 people in Ampatuan town, one of the clan's strongholds in Maguindanao province. It was hailed as the worst election violence in Philippine history. Clan patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr. and former Datu Unsay town Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. are among the key suspects in the massacre. In petitions with the CA, Zaldy and Akmad accused Agra of committing grave abuse of discretion for the May 5 resolution, which gave weight to the testimony of witness Abdul Talusan. Zaldy and Akmad argued that Talusan was not introduced as a witness during the preliminary investigation at the Justice Department. They also said the department's earlier recommendation to include them in the charge sheet was based on sworn statements of witnesses that included Maguindano incumbent Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, Nasser Abdul, and Kenny Dalandag. —VS, GMANews.TV