QC court orders Zaldy Ampatuan returned to jail
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2019 11:03:48 +0000
ZALDY Ampatuan
A Quezon City court ordered on Tuesday one of the principals accused in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre case to return to his detention cell from the hospital two days before the decision on the gruesome case is handed down.
In the order released by Quezon City Regional Trial Court (QC-RTC) Branch 221 Presiding Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes, accused Zaldy Ampatuan was directed to immediately return to the Quezon City Jail Annex in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.
Ampatuan, who belongs to the powerful political clan tagged as the mastermind in the decade-old massacre case, has been confined at the Makati Medical Center since suffering a stroke on Oct. 21.
Based on the three-page order dated Dec. 16, the court said it is clear that Ampatuan was “merely continuing medical management and rehabilitation to maximize the residual function and improve his strength” after his stroke.
“That being the case, the court finds that there is no longer any need for accused-movant to remain in the hospital as the procedure during rehabilitation session can be done to him as an out-patient,” the order states.
The court has granted the plea of state prosecutors who asked for the return of Ampatuan to detention, fearing that he might “do any last ditch move towards his liberty” as the release of the verdict nears.
On the other hand, Ampatuan, through his counsel, sought to extend his stay at the hospital for further monitoring as he claimed to suffer another stroke.
However, the local court has denied Ampatuan’s motion to extend his hospital confinement, noting that his “rehabilitation session can be done to him as an out-patient.”
The court has cited medical records submitted by the camp of Ampatuan which showed that the accused is “clinically as well as neurologically stable.”
“A perusal of the medical abstract/discharge summary submitted by accused-movant reveals, among others, that he is on his 44th day of hospitalization, and clinically as well as neurologically stable with no more complaint of headache and dizziness. He is ambulatory, and likewise shows that his lower extremities are stronger than the upper ones.
Included therein is the list of medicines prescribed and the procedures which he underwent during his stay thereat,” it reads.
“That being the case, the court finds that there is no longer any need for accused-movant to remain in the hospital as the procedure during rehabilitation session can be done to him as an out-patient. The rehabilitation doctor can issue a prescription on what procedures are to be followed by the physical therapist,” the order adds.
With this, the QC court ordered Ampatuan returned to detention from hospital ahead of the release of the verdict on Thursday.
“The Jail Warden of Quezon City Jail-Annex, Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan Taguig City, is hereby directed to immediately transport accused-movant Zaldy Ampatuan to the said detention facility,” it ordered.
In the same order, the local court also denied Ampatuan’s request to bring two additional lawyers during the promulgation of the case because of “limited space in the courtroom.”
“In connection therewith, all private prosecutors and their clients, heirs of the victims, are enjoined to limit the number of counsel who will attend the promulgation day to one per client. This likewise applies to all the defense counsels,” the court said.
Ampatuan, who was then governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and his brother Andal Jr. are among the 98 accused facin
http://tempo.com.ph/feed/